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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2010 > February > 08 > Entry
Editorial: Sinclair can be pricier, but still be cheap
If Sinclair Community College were not in a financial bind today, that would be a much bigger problem than even its pressing money concerns.
The fear — panic is too strong a word, but it’s not far off — about the future is attributable to one thing: enrollment, which is exploding.
If students, young and old, weren’t — especially in this economy — flocking to Sinclair, that would be much more unnerving.
That would mean people had given up on bettering themselves or didn’t care to do so; or that they couldn’t afford the school; or that they weren’t satisfied with the courses and training Sinclair offers.
None of those things seems to be in play.
Sinclair’s enrollment has increased by 23.1 percent in the past two years, as measured by full-time equivalent students enrolled in the fall. Its cost of $45 per credit hour (for Montgomery County residents) makes it the lowest-priced community college in the state, a distinction that has value beyond bragging rights.
Sinclair’s price is, far and away, what makes it a place of possibilities for so many.
Sinclair’s board and administrators are tip-toeing around absolute declarations, but some of them, anyway, have concluded that the college must raise tuition over time and back off its commitment to tuition freezes.
At a recent board retreat and at meetings with faculty last week, President Steven Lee Johnson presented facts and figures suggesting Sinclair has no choice but to increase what it charges students.
Yes, the state has been increasing its funding — on account of the uptick in enrollment — but a 5 percent increase in that money in 2009 over 2008, for example, doesn’t cut it when there are 11 percent more students.
Last year the school did get a nice 16 percent bump in property tax revenue on account of its local levy that was passed in 2008. But Sinclair’s entire property tax receipts only represent 20 percent of revenue.
At a meeting with faculty on Thursday. Feb. 4, the comments that had the most heads nodding is that the college is relying too much on part-time instructors and that classes are too large — all a function of money.
One instructor spoke of having 40 students, saying her room was so crowded she couldn’t walk between desks.
Meanwhile, Sinclair, more than some other colleges, is feeling the effect of the message that everyone needs some post-high school education. Not everyone who realizes that reality is ready to do college-level work, and helping those students catch up is expensive.
Then there’s this: The state’s money represented a little less than a third of Sinclair’s revenue in 2009. Not just Sinclair, but every public college in the state is wondering what will happen in two years, when Ohio’s budget isn’t propped up by a ton of stimulus money.
Historically, when money is short, higher education pays the price.
President Johnson is telling his staff that he believes Sinclair can incrementally and significantly raise tuition on a percentage basis without hurting needy students. Many are eligible for generous financial aid, he said. Those who are on the bubble financially will need scholarships that the university has to support, and those who can afford to pay will have to pay more.
While costs have been going through the roof at four-year universities for years, Sinclair has resisted that move. It hasn’t raised tuition in 12 of the last 19 years.
That fact is why many local students who want to attend a four-year college are deciding to take some classes close to home before they start paying the big bucks.
Sinclair is as affordable as it gets. If it can’t be as much of a bargain in the worst of economic times, then the priority has to be making sure that those who can’t pay get exceptional financial help.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment | Categories: Economy, Editorials, Ellen Belcher, Higher Ed, Ohio government
Comments
By ezedntipp
February 8, 2010 4:46 PM | Link to this
Why do socialists always say they will be helping “needy students” when they are raising the cost of any service the Taxpayer is already paying through the nose for? Even though the Taxpayer isn’t attending Sinclair.Maybe the old fashioned cutting costs is beyond these “scholars”thinking at our Community College
By Perceptive
February 8, 2010 5:30 PM | Link to this
Yes, Sinlclair relies too much on adjuncts. If Sinclair wants to raise tuition, it will have to have a higher % of full time faculty. Many full time faculty who have been reduced to part time should be recalled.
By Perceptive
February 8, 2010 5:32 PM | Link to this
Yes, Sinlclair relies too much on adjuncts. If Sinclair wants to raise tuition, it will have to have a higher % of full time faculty. Many full time faculty who have been reduced to part time should be recalled.
By ezedntipp
February 8, 2010 6:47 PM | Link to this
Why do socialists always say they will be helping “needy students” when they are raising the cost of any service the Taxpayer is already paying through the nose for? Even though the Taxpayer isn’t attending Sinclair.Maybe the old fashioned cutting costs is beyond these “scholars”thinking at our Community College
By fortressdayton
February 9, 2010 7:19 PM | Link to this
I had a Sinclair student today tell me that the grad rate is abysmal… and the grade for many students are below acceptable. How about simply charging tuition that reflects cost? Why does everybody get a handout except the folks paying for the handouts? If you can’t afford it, you can’t go. And I am so sick of people using their student loans to live off of while they don’t have jobs…. These are the cows that drop out, have neither a degree or a job. A nation of Takers.
By Don Don
February 10, 2010 10:10 AM | Link to this
It is so simple but these “scholars” just do not get it. Raise the tuition or cut costs. Keep your hands off of my wallet. Why do I have to get an increase in my property taxes to pay for people to attend Sinclair when it is already the cheapest in the state. Do these needy students no longer qualify for financial aide?