As originally envisioned, community colleges in New Jersey were to be funded in equal parts by the counties they serve, the State of New Jersey and students through tuition. Community colleges in New Jersey operate under an open enrollment system.  Because of their relative affordability, enrollment at community colleges has skyrocketed. The Great Recession, of course, has further created a market where many are choosing to attend community colleges. At Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) in Branchburg, where I teach criminal law and criminal justice, enrollment is at an all-time high.   

Despite this, college trustees closed a projected $3 million budget shortfall for the coming fiscal year with a tuition increase of $15 a credit.  According to President Casey Crabill, for a full-time student the increase will be $450 per year.  The approved budget also reflected a restructuring of administrative functions which resulted in a number of staff layoffs and reclassifications, a reduction in the equivalent of twelve full-time positions.

One of the reasons for the budget shortfall is the substantial reduction in college funding by Somerset and Hunterdon counties.  This proportion of two-thirds public funding and one-third student tuition clearly reflected the founding vision that New Jersey’s public county colleges be primarily supported with public funds and only supplemented by tuition dollars.

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