The Hopkinsville Community College Board of Directors approved a proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year and revised the college’s value statements to be in compliance with new legislation at their Monday meeting.
HCC Vice President of Business Affairs, Dale Leatherman shared that the college is in good financial shape heading into the 2025-26 fiscal year. During the 2024-25 year, Leatherman says they exceeded last year’s tuition revenue by around $1.2 million.
Turning toward the upcoming fiscal year, student tuition is going up. Leatherman says Kentucky Community and Technical College System institutions have been approved to raise tuition by $4 to $6 per credit hour. The proposed budget includes a $4 per credit hour raise.
The proposed budget also includes a 2% salary increase for all regular employees as well as incremental raises based on how long they have been working at HCC. Employees who have worked over five years would receive a 1% salary increase and then for every additional five years worked a .5% raise would be added.
Board member Darrell Crawford called the raise inadequate, but HCC President Alissa Young says ability to give larger raises is limited by the KCTCS Board of Regents. She says the board of regents would like to give better raises, but they don’t want to raise tuition even higher to make up that additional expense.
Despite not being satisfied by the employee raises, the board approved the proposed budget.
Turning toward the 2025 Kentucky General Assembly, lawmakers passed House Bill 4 which eliminates Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives at higher education institutions in the state. Young says the bill goes into effect on June 27, so the board voted to remove certain language from the school’s value statements to ensure compliance.
Young says they will revisit the phrasing of the college’s value statements in the fall.