Unlike the Florida afternoon sky, Santa Fe College students will not be making it rain any time soon.
Tuition at Santa Fe will increase by 10 percent this year as part of the budget President Jackson Sasser recently presented.
Sasser said the increase would amount to a little more than $200 per year for a student taking 30 credit hours.
Santa Fe sophomore Kyle McKay said he won't complain about the tuition increase, but he acknowledged that he does not pay his own tuition.
Sasser thinks Santa Fe students will still pay less than most state college and university students because most institutions are increasing tuition as much as possible. Sasser could have raised the tuition by up to 13 percent, according to state legislation signed by Gov. Rick Scott June 1.
The tuition raise comes as the school continues to take budget cuts that have hit since 2007.
McKay said he understands the school is in a tough place.
"We're going to have to start suffering the consequences, basically, of the economy we're in right now," he said.
The economy is partly what prompted Sasser to increase employees' salaries. He wanted to respect the needs of current employees and be able to recruit in the future.
Sasser said Santa Fe has already missed out on top candidates because of salaries.
"And that's tragic," he said.
The 2011-2012 budget featured a different kind of financial change for the school's employees.
All employees will get a raise and an additional 2.5 percent cost of living increase. The cost of living increase will be applied to the post-raise salary.
Sasser emphasized that the tuition increase is not directly related to raises.
David Price, president of the Santa Fe College Senate and professor of history and political science, estimated that his raise will be around $3,000. Price will have to put about $1,500 towards the Florida Retirement System.
Employees who have been at the school longer will receive larger raises.
