WESSON &045; The Co-Lin Board of Trustees took the option on the color-coded spreadsheet that didn’t result in red numbers.

Based on President Howell Garner’s recommendation, tuition will go up $50 per semester starting this year, from $850 to $900, including fees.

The pre-planned faculty salary schedule will stay the same &045; giving a one-step increase that averages to about 1.24 percent. Other personnel will receive a similar percentage of increase.

The college will pay the cost of a dental premium increase.

With a $293,529 decrease in state funding, finalized by the Legislature over the weekend, Garner said the tuition increase was necessary.

Without the $50 increase the school’s fund balance would decrease $49,455, into the red, by the end of the coming fiscal year, pending major enrollment changes.

With the increase, the projected fund balance would be $152,495 in the black.

Garner told board members Thursday afternoon that he’d informally polled many in student services who all said the $50 increase would have no affect on enrollment.

&uot;The only feedback I have on no increase is that we will go in the hole,&uot; Garner said. &uot;The last two years we’ve been really, really close on the fund balance. We don’t feel comfortable taking a chance of putting the school in a situation of being irresponsible on fiscal management.&uot;

The increase will only affect full-time students, not part-time.

Garner also presented the board with the end results of a $100 increase, which could leave the school with up to a $226,354 increase in the fund balance. But

Garner said he didn’t feel a $100 increase was necessary.

The $50 increase puts the college even with Southwest Mississippi Community College and $70 more than Hinds Community College, which did not raise tuition this year.

&uot;Being the same as Southwest gives us better posture in terms of recruitment,&uot; Garner said.

The $50 increase will generate $228,850 for the college, money board member Steve Wells said will contribute to the 1 percent faculty pay raise.

&uot;We want to send the message to the faculty and staff that we wish we could do more,&uot; Wells said. &uot;We would like them to understand that over half that tuition increase is going to the step increase in staff and faculty.&uot;

Garner also said the college wanted to pay its employees more.

&uot;We don’t feel real good about not giving them more,&uot; Garner said. &uot;But we feel worse about not being fiscally responsible.&uot;

Other factors in the new budget include an increase in the health insurance premium of $82,500 that will be paid by the state, state paid increases in the retirement fund and an additional $12,000 from a mileage reimbursement increase that Co-Lin will have to pay.