The Maricopa County Community College District will review a proposal on Tuesday night to raise tuition and fees. Some of the $12 million would be used for computer upgrades following a security breach.
The tuition increase would require all Maricopa college students to pay an additional $5 per credit hour for a total of $86 per credit hour, starting in July. The district could also increase the property tax levy by 2 percent in Maricopa County.
Some of the money would be used to strengthen computer network security after a hacker last year claimed to have stolen personal information from nearly 2.5 million students, faculty and staff. Sophomore Ramon Chavez is with the student leadership council at Phoenix College, and he reacted to the proposal.
“I’m not a fan of the tuition hike, but if the tuition has to be raised in order to make the students information be secure to make them stay in school then ultimately that is what has to be done,” Chavez said.
A district spokesman said the money would also go to pay raises and increased retirement contributions for some district employees plus scholarships and student retention programs. The district’s governing board is not expected to make a final vote on the proposal until this spring.
KJZZ is licensed to the Maricopa Community Colleges.