System president seeks hike in funds Tuition freeze aim at technical colleges

Hoping to continue freezing tuition, Maine Technical College System President John Fitzsimmons said Tuesday he would recommend to the board of trustees a 3.5 percent increase in state funding in each of the next two fiscal years.

The board is holding a regularly scheduled meeting today at Northern Maine Technical College in Presque Isle to consider the plan and other matters.

If the state allocates the total requested $3,068,454 increase over the two years, the seven-campus system would be able to maintain its existing level of services, Fitzsimmons said Tuesday.

“There’s no question our colleges could use more money, but in light of the fiscal challenges the state is facing, we felt it’s a reasonable request to come forward with,” he said.

This fall’s record 16.5 percent enrollment increase was directly tied to the system freezing tuition the last four years, Fitzsimmons said.

“No question the ability to pay is the difference between whether people enroll or don’t enroll,” he said. “What we need to communicate to the next governor and incoming Legislature is that we must keep this forward progress going. We truly believe if Maine wants to increase the percent of citizens with college degrees, we need a strong two-year college system to complement a strong and vibrant university system.”

The technical colleges’ plan is in contrast to the one approved Monday by the University of Maine System board of trustees. They are asking the state for a 12.9 percent increase in fiscal year 2004 and a 17.2 percent increase the next year. They also want to freeze tuition and increase enrollment. Fitzsimmons said he also plans to ask for $437,850 in 2004 and $495,000 in 2005 above and beyond the requested budget to pay for services for students who are disabled.

A sign language interpreter and adaptive equipment to help disabled students use computers are among the services needed to comply with the Americans With Disability Act, he said.

“Those are items we’re unable to fund ourselves. It’s critical to have those available for any student who comes in with disabilities,” he said.

Over the past six years the technical colleges haven’t received much help in paying for those services, according to Fitzsimmons. He has “very little optimism” that the coming biennium will be any different.

But, “what we’re doing is letting the state know we need it,” he said. Students with disabilities comprise “an important population in our colleges,” he said.