Tuition is not going up at Onondaga Community College for the 2024-2025 school year, something I’m glad to hear. OCC provides a great education and keeping it affordable will ensure as many students as possible will have an opportunity to attend and better their lives.
OCC President Dr. Warren Hilton made the tuition announcement during his presentation of the college’s proposed budget at a joint meeting of the Legislature’s County Facilities and Ways & Means committees. While I don’t serve on either committee, I felt it was important to attend so I could hear firsthand the details of the proposal. Onondaga County is responsible for a portion of it along with New York State and student tuition and fees.
One thing Dr. Hilton said was, “I always want to be able to come to this body and say that we are using taxpayer dollars wisely in doing what’s in the best interest of taxpayers and our students. Maintaining a tuition level that will help our students continue to be at our institution is one thing that’s important to us.”
I believe that is important because we want to make sure everyone who wants to attend OCC can do so. While 72% of their 8,100 students are age 21 or younger, 28% are older – perhaps looking to change their career path, or just deciding the time is right to go back to school and get a degree. 89% come from Onondaga County or the four surrounding counties, which is why it’s critical we fully support and fund OCC when we can. It is great students can continue their education right here at home, at what I think is the best community college in the state.
In OCC’s proposed, fully-balanced $64 million dollar operating budget, the school is asking for a small increase in county funding. It’s the first such ask in seven years. Speaking from a podium at the front of our Legislature’s chambers, Dr. Hilton held up two ‘100 Grand’ candy bars for those gathered to see. Those candy bars represent the total amount of the requested increase: $200,000 – or 2% – over the 2023-2024 funded budget.
Dr. Hilton also shared that enrollment was up at OCC during the past two semesters and that New York State hasn’t increased funding to OCC since 2022. For this proposed budget, the school asked the state for an additional $3.9 million dollars in operating aid but is set to receive only $200,000 extra. Why New York State doesn’t believe in appropriately funding our state colleges, I’ll never know. Quality educational opportunities that are affordable would encourage some students to stay and further their education here. Instead, many are leaving the state with no plans to ever return.
I appreciate Dr. Hilton and everyone involved in putting together the OCC budget for 2024-2025. I’m excited to see the increase in enrollment as well as the new nursing and Micron-related programs that we’ve recently approved funding for at the Legislature. We have a lot more opportunity ahead of us and I look forward to helping OCC continue to provide the best education possible for the students in our 10th District and beyond.
What’s next? A public hearing on OCC’s budget will be held on May 28 with the full Legislature likely to vote on it at their Session on June 4. Both will take place at the Legislature’s Chambers in the Onondaga County Courthouse, and I’ll be there.