Why NCCC charges higher tuition to Monroe students

I believe some clarification is needed on why Northampton Community College charges our Monroe students more tuition than those residing in Northampton.

The simple answer is that the public school districts in Northampton "sponsor" or pay part of the tuition costs for their resident students. Monroe County's schools do not.

When I was a guidance counselor for Warren Hills School District in Washington, NJ, our school district paid the difference so our students could attend NCC at the same price as Northampton students paid.

Monroe County's public schools should do this too, but they are cash-strapped because of the lack of tax reform in PA, which has caused our public schools to be seriously underfunded.

In the future, I envision one day becoming a full partner with NCC to have the college become the Monroe-Northampton Community College. This is what Carbon and Lehigh counties did to form a joint community college.

Meanwhile, our students pay much less than out-of-state students pay, and I firmly believe that Northampton is one of the finest community colleges in all of Pennsylvania and is definitely the best buy for a family's buck. As someone once said, "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance"!

Sincerely,

Suzanne F. McCool,

Chairperson

Monroe County Board

of Commissioners

(570) 517-3102