Moraine Valley Candidates On Tuition Costs

The following question was asked of candidates running for the Moraine Valley Community College Board of Trustees.

Answers are listed in the order they were received.

Raising tuition costs is a big concern for students. What could be done to keep tuition from rising?

Andrea Ramirez-Justin

Moraine Valley Community College always has the best interest of each student and the College, Staff and Board of Trustees work diligently every day to ensure that expenses are low which in turn can keep the cost of tuition from rising. We have an excellent CFO and along with his staff work closely with the President, Executive Leadership Team and the Board of Trustees at Moraine Valley to ensure that all costs are kept low without jeopardizing the educational foundation for the students of MVCC.

Joseph A. Skibinski

More students! First, any increases in fixed costs from additional facilities and technology would have to bring tangible benefits that far outweigh their costs. Also, more students would bring additional revenues to help cover existing fixed costs. Finally, just like with larger universities, I think we have an opportunity to greatly enhance the college's revenues and prestige in the community by expanding our noncredit offerings and reaching deeper into our communities to better serve our local businesses, residents and taxpayers.

Ricardo A. Fernandez

Moraine Valley Community College needs to focus on maintaining a balanced budget, especially now that the state is suffering from poor fiscal management. We owe it to the people of this district to keep tuition down and enrollment high.

Sandra S. Wagner

The simplest answer to this question is for the State of Illinois to pay their portion of the funding for MVCC. Currently, the state pays 9% (down 6% since 2009), local taxes account for 31%, and tuition 57%. Ideally, each should pay one third.

The burden should not continue to fall on the students and their families. Since it doesn't look like the state will come through soon, exploring additional funding sources and paying careful attention to all expenditures is crucial. The goal should remain, however, to maintain the excellent education and top notch campus for which Moraine is known.

John Schiera

Work-study programs, corporate sponsorships and partnerships.