McHenry County Blog

With a child in college, Congressman Peter Roskam has introduced a bill to let students and parents know what the cost of college might be.  His and Congressman Matt Cartwright’s press release follows:

Roskam, Cartwright Introduce Truth-In-Tuition Act To Take Guesswork Out of College Education Costs

WASHINGTON— Today, Congressman Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Congressman Matt Cartwright (D-PA) introduced H.R. 2020, the bipartisan Truth-In-Tuition Act, which requires universities and colleges to provide a four-year price model for students and parents so they can plan for the ever-increasing costs of higher education:

Peter Roskam

“The staggering and unpredictable costs of a college education makes it difficult for many Americans to realize the dream of a higher education.

“Too many students end up dropping out of a four-year institution because the financial burden becomes too great.

“For those that graduate with college loans, many enter the workforce with massive debt that can take decades to pay off,” said Roskam.

“We must take the mystery out of the cost of higher education. For the colleges and universities that rely on federal dollars, it is only reasonable that Congress demand these institutions provide transparency for the students and families that pay tuition.”

“Skyrocketing tuition is inhibiting college access and placing families and students in heavy debt. While the increases alone are daunting, the unpredictability of the rate hikes creates an added strain on families,” said Cartwright.

“Without having the full picture of college costs, students and their families are forced to take on more student loan debt than they originally anticipated.

“The total outstanding student loan debt in the United States has surpassed the $1 trillion mark. It has outpaced credit card debt, auto debt, and is second only to mortgage debt.”

The Truth-In-Tuition Act will require private and public universities and colleges to give every student a clear picture of what their degree will cost by using a pricing model, taking the guesswork out of how much and when payments are due throughout their education.

There are many successful examples of this bill being implemented in states across the country.

In Illinois, public universities and colleges are required to provide a financial roadmap – a bill Congressman Roskam supported as a State Senator in 2003.

Ultimately, this bill will help create a clear path forward for students so that unforeseen costs don’t inhibit their ability to achieve their higher education goals.

The escalating cost of higher education has been a serious deterrent to students’ ability to afford college.

In just a decade, from 2002-2012, tuition at public four-year universities and colleges have increased by 66 percent beyond the rate of inflation.

In that same time period, tuition at private universities and colleges have increased by 27 percent beyond the rate of inflation.

McHenry County College will soon look like this.

Tonight I answered a four-question survey about McHenry County College’s proposal to build a health club.

It was from an organization I have never heard of and I doubt exists.

I heard “McHenry County Better Government Organization.” Maybe I didn’t write it down accurately.

Regardless, if it exists as anything but a front group, I’d be surprised.

The questions were roughly the following:

1. McHenry County College is proposing a multi-[?} expansion. If you are in favor, press one button, if not, another.
2. McHenry County College is at 50% capacity. Should it be expanded? If you are in favor, press one button, if not, another.
3. McHenry County is planning to build a health club. If you are in favor, press one button, if not, another.
4. McHenry County College plans to pay for the health club by increasing tuition. If you favor having tuition increase, press one button, if no, another.

In one or more of the questions there was an “undecided” option.

The question in my mind is who would want to know that information.

There are lots of candidates running for the McHenry County College Board.

Some are vehemently opposed to building a health club (think Chris Jenner, Tom Wilbeck, Erik Sivertsen).

If they had this information, they could target those who answered the questions in the negative.

At the August 20th meeting of the McHenry County Mental Health Board, former County Board member Lyn Orphal brought up two interesting topics in the Public Comment period.

She said that communications between the Mental Health Board and one or more agencies had been recorded. I filed a Freedom of Information request asking for electronic copies on the spot and expect a reply in the near future.

The second topic was tuition payments Orphal said were made to finance the earning of a doctorate degree by Executive Director Sandy Lewis, whose resignation was accepted that night.

Now comes in mail an accounting of the money spent by the Mental Health Board in 2010, 2011 and 2012 at Aurora University for “Administration.”

Whether or not it is for Lewis I don’t know. She lists an Ed.D from George Williams College.

$20,400 was paid to Aurora University by the McHenry County Mental Health Board.

State Rep. Mike Tryon (and others) have drawn the ire of state university employee union, the Illinois Education Association.

When the legislation in question originally passed, I remember thinking what a bad idea it was.

Why should kids of university employees get a 50% tuition waiver?

Tryon, Luis Arroyo, Rosemary Mulligan have all filed bills to get rid of the program, as you can se4e below:

The best argument the IEA lobbyists could come up with to retain the program is that it costs half the amount of legislative scholarships.

An email to voters of the McHenry County College District from Erik Sivertsen:

Dear Concerned Citizens of McHenry County,

Erik Sivertsen

Did you know that MCC’s Board of Trustees voted to raise tuition by 9% last Thursday?

Did you also know that in that same meeting they approved nearly $4.5 million in additional spending?

The citizens of District 528 are having to make changes and trim their budgets to cope with these tough economic times.

How can our college’s board justify raising tuition beyond the level of both College of Lake County, and Elgin Community College, rather than cut the waste out of the budget?

Several current board members are attempting to make the argument that the state has decreased its funding of the school from 33.3% to only 5%.

Erik Sivertsen's campaign post card. Click to enlarge.

To say that state funding has decreased is a misrepresentation of the facts.

State funding has not increased as quickly as other sources of income, but has remained virtually unchanged throughout the last 7+ years.

Most recently, between 2009-2010 state funding increased by approximately $1.5 mil dollars.

Due to the fact that the revenue from property taxes has increased and the tuition has more than doubled since 2000, the state is now supplying a smaller percentage of the schools gross revenue.

The projected shortfall in next year’s budget was less than 5% of total expenses.

A 5% decrease in funding throughout the budget would not hinder the school’s ability to offer a first-rate education. By seeking alternative sources of revenue, the need to decrease expenses would be even less.

$3.5 mil of the spending approved in the last meeting will go towards remodeling the commons, student lounge, cafeteria, and kitchen.

The focus of the project would be to add a new kitchen for the culinary program.

In coming years the school may have the need to move the culinary program on campus, but at this point the school would be best served by continuing to use the facilities at Woodstock North High School.

This benefits the college and the high school.

MCC is able to develop the culinary program and go through the initial growth stages at a significantly reduced cost. Both schools share part of the costs for the facilities and therefore taxpayers are not forced to pay twice for the same resource.

Beyond the financial shortcomings of this decision, the proposal that they decided on places the new kitchen in the center of the school.

Erik Sivertsen's palm card.

This may seem like a convenient location, but if the culinary program is one of MCC’s fastest growing programs, when it comes time to expand these new facilities, there will be nowhere to go without removing other current facilities or starting over.

My name is Erik Sivertsen and I am running for MCC’s Board of Trustees in the election this Tuesday.

I am currently

• a Republican Precinct Committeeman,
• the President of MCC’s Students Supporting the Right to Life,
• Secretary of MCC’s Political Theory and Debate Group,
• a Student Senate Representative, and
• a recent Graduate of MCC.

I have walked the halls at MCC the last 3 years, so I know where the school does really well, and I also know where the school could use improvement.

I will fight to meet the needs of the community without increasing taxes or tuition. I will do this by making responsible decisions, and making sure that every dollar spent goes to improve the education of the students.

The election is getting close, and every vote counts! Please help me out by forwarding this email to everyone who lives within McHenry County.

Together we can make a positive impact in our community and in the future students of MCC.

Thank You for Your Support,

Erik Sivertsen

The Finance Committee of McHenry County College met Monday night.

Vicki Smith, the new President proposed a $10 hike.

My take-away is that an increase of $5-6 will probably be approved Thursday night.

“I can’t handle that,” Trustee Carol Larson said.

“To be perfectly honest, that would really hurt,” Student Trustee Cody Sheriff added.

“If we’re wanting to move the institution forward, as a board, you need to think about that,” new President Vicki Smith said.

She pointed out that MCC was fifth from the bottom on tuition among Illinois junior colleges.

Vicki Smith

Lowe suggested an $8 an hour increase.

Smith pointed out that MCC is serving 30% more students and that there is a limit to how much you can control costs.

“We can’t make it work for $2, $3.” And later, “We’ve been lagging behind.”

Adams pointed out that a $10 increase would amount to a 12% hike to $91 a credit hour.

Lowe observed that McHenry County is one of the wealthier counties in the state.

At this point Larson mentioned $4 an hour.

Adams revealed, “Our teachers are going to make 5.2% more on average next year.”

Smith said she had been through the budget line by line and concluded, “There’s not a lot of areas we can ratchet back.”

At some point during the discussion Ron Parish joined the meeting.

“I really feel we need a formal, aggressive cost reduction program.

“$1.2 million. I think it can be done.”

$1.2 million seems to be the shortfall that Smith identified in the budget before I got to the meeting.

The Student Trustee wondered if that was possible.

“Cody, I’ve managed three major institutions and I know how to do it,” Parish said.

“We teach you students to do it (but) we’re not doing it ourselves.”

From left to right, Dennis Adams, Cody Sheriff and George Lowe.

Newly-appointed Dennis Adams agreed with Parish’s sentiments.

By this time Larsen had moved up to $5, suggesting another $4 next year.

She characterized her suggestion as splitting the difference.

Lowe argued that $5 would not split the difference, since the board was certainly going to increase tuition more than zero.

The college estimates that $119,000 will be obtained for every $1 increase in tuition.

Another communication from a candidate, this time for McHenry County College Board. (Remember candidates, you have the same access. Just email me your press release.)

Robert S. Jackson on Possible MCC Tuition Hikes

and Smart Planning for the Future

Woodstock—Robert S. Jackson, a candidate for McHenry County Community College Trustee, released his thoughts on the proposed “nearly eleven percent tuition and fee hike” recently cited in an article in the Northwest Herald:

Robert S. Jackson campaign piece. Click to enlarge.

Committed expenses, including the 7% increases due plus faculty in salary and benefits in their contract ending in 2012 require that some way of increasing income must be found.

But future faculty salary and benefits will need to become a lower proportion of all college expenses.

And they will need to reflect the depressed economic situation we are currently experience and may continue to endure for a while longer.

For now, the board should consider short-term borrowing to be paid back by such an expected future reduction of proportionate expenses.

Historically low interest rates make this among the best times in history for institutions to borrow money – if one properly positioned to pay it back.

Since that action would take too long to meet immediate needs, tuition and fees hikes will be necessary.

The hikes should be large enough to provide funding for a scholarship program that is both “mean,” and “motivation” tested.

The economically disadvantaged will be given priority and not further disadvantaged by these hikes.

Motivation-testing aims at applicants who will complete their programs rather than those apt to use resources then drop-out.

The board should consider joining tuition-supported funds to private funding sources to create a reconstituted and improved if more modest “Promise Program.”

The board packet of McHenry County College is posted on its web site, just as I wish every government’s were. (Special hint to the Crystal Lake City Council.)

In it is a recommendation that tuition be hiked $2 a credit hour.

Kathleen Plinski

“At present, other major revenue sources are constrained due to the continued effect of the tax cap, the uncertainty of the level of state funding, and current economic conditions,” writes Interim President Kathleen Plinske.

She notes the Consumer Price Index increased 2.5% last year and that

“A $2.00 increase from $80 to $82 is a 2.5% increase.”

An extra $264,000 would be generated from the fee increase.

The technology fee would remain at $9 per hour.

“Statewide,” she notes, “the range of tuition and fee rates for FY 2009 is a low of $67.00 to a high of $131.00 per credit hour, with the average rate being $88.95.”

This is the third part of my article on the MCC MAP meeting Tuesday night

The McHenry County College Promise, Todd McDonald told me, has already completely processed 650 high school graduates.

Another 170 or so await a report from the U.S. Department of Education to see if they are eligible for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This FAFSA process takes 3-4 weeks, so high school grads who haven’t started the process yet probably won’t get an answer in time for classes to start.

“What a nice problem to have,” Ally said.

Telling me that college enrollment was up 55%, MCC Board President George Lowe observed,

A woman asked if the extra students wouldn’t cost more money, perhaps, she suggested, more than the resulting extra tuition.

Ally made two responses that I caught:

• “Our goal should be to have fuller classes running.
• “We’ll run extra sections with adjunct faculty.”

Part-time teachers are a LOT cheaper that the full-timers.

Suggestions from the tables that I jotted down included “hybrid classes.” That was defined as half in the classroom, half online.

I think it was the same table that said this about state financial assistance:

“We were hopeful that state funding might increase…but not too hopeful.”

It’s good to have a sense of humor.

Taking photos while taking notes makes it difficult to link the two. The table with the sense of humor is either above (the last one to report) or below:

Lowe took the floor at the end of the meeting and pointed out that state financial assistance had gone down from 23% to 7.9% over the last sixteen years.

That 23% was less than what the committee that led the 1967 junior college referendum effort presented to taxpayers.

The state told the organizers that it would provide one-third.

With a ten-cent referendum rate request, the committee told voters that

• the state would pay one-third
• the students would pay one-third and
• the taxpayers would pay one-third.

Obviously, the state junior college promoters lied.

Note, however from the pie chart that while the taxpayers now pay 59.6%, almost twice what voters were told their share would be, students do not pay the 33% that was presented in 1967.

Tuition brings in 29.3% now.

Part 1 is here.
Part 2 is here.

Under my article about the free tuition that private donors are offering any graduate of a McHenry County College high school appeared the following comment from Lyle S:

“Maybe I’m just being an Ass. But I’m sort of upset about this program. I graduated high school in 1986. I struggled to pay for college with grants and loans for a year going to Illinois State. I came back home and worked to pay for school at MCC a couple of years. Ends were not meeting so I joined the Navy in 1990. I did so primarily for education benefits. Between the GI Bill and the Illinois Veterans benefits I got my Associates from MCC; as well as other classes at other schools.

“Now all graduating high school students get to go to MCC free (tuition)and all they need to do is 32 hours of community service each school year. I lived my “community” service 24/7, 365 days a year for 4 years to EARN my free tuition.

“Why the big handout? Is a college education the next entitlement??

“On top of everything else, I earned my high school (Marian Central) tuition by sweeping floors during the school year and working at the school during summers too.”

That reminded me so much of what my father-in-law Vince Giangrasso had told me about how he was able to attend DeLaSalle High School in Chicago.

He told me he paid for all but $90 of his tuition at DeLaSalle High School by doing janitorial work.

The first two years he swept the cafeteria. The students who bought their lunch sat on chairs, which had to be put on top of the tables. That was pretty easy, he told me.

Those who brought their lunches to school, as he did, sat on stools. They, too, had to be put on top of the tables, but this task was harder. Only so many stools to a table.

I asked him who mopped the floor, but he couldn’t remember anyone ever doing that.
Now, I have experience being a floor boy and cooks’ helper from one year my Oberlin College days. I also got experience broiling steaks on Saturday night—on both warm and chilling days. Sometimes I filled in for the pot washer down in the basement of the girls’ dorm.

In any event, my father-in-law moved on to bigger and better things in his junior year.

He got to sweep a hallway of one of the floors.

In his senior year, he was given “grace,” he told me.

“I didn’t have to do anything.”

He and my wife were Bridgeport residents, but he insisted that the kids speak English, rather than Bridgeportese.

There are no “dems” and “dos” in family conversations.