JCC's 2009-2010 budget was approved by the college's board of trustees on July 21. The new budget, which totals $29,606,000, is 6% larger than the college's original 2008-2009 spending plan. JCC's new fiscal year begins September 1, 2009.

“Given the turmoil of the economy worldwide, this was yet another challenging budget to build,” said JCC President Gregory T. DeCinque. “We are disappointed and dismayed that the state aid rate for community college students remained at $2,675 per full-time equivalent students, exactly where it has been for the last two years. The state has also forced community colleges to pick up mandated expenses while eliminating a number of forms of state aid through recent years. This places the state contribution well below its promised 40% share of expenses and means that our students continue to be asked to bear a larger burden through their tuition.”

The new JCC budget will increase full-time New York resident tuition by $70 per semester. “As maintaining access to higher education is always a priority for us, we are mindful of the impact of tuition increases on our students,” said John Garfoot, JCC’s vice president and dean of administration. “We believe this increase will be offset by financial aid for most of our students; particularly those in greatest need. Students at most of the State University of New York’s community colleges will see similar increases.”

Higher enrollment is a key factor prompting JCC’s budget increase. “We already know that we will be serving more returning sophomores than we served last year, and admissions activity indicates that we can anticipate a larger freshman class as well,” Dr. DeCinque said. “It costs more to provide quality instruction and services to more students.”

“We believe that this budget will permit us to maintain the same high quality education on which JCC has built its outstanding reputation for nearly 60 years,” Dr. DeCinque said. “It will allow us to keep the promise we make to connect students to their goals by providing challenging educational experiences in a caring environment.”