2024-25 EFSC Budget Includes No Tuition Increase and Provides Employee Pay Raises

At its Monday meeting, the Eastern Florida State College Board of Trustees unanimously approved a $92.3 million plan for Fiscal Year 2024-25 to support the college’s mission to provide a high-quality, affordable education on Florida’s Space Coast.

“While this will continue to be a challenging year ahead, I strongly believe the proposed budget is a realistic road map for continued success,” said college president Dr. Jim Richey.

“It will ensure that Eastern Florida remains on the right path for growth and continued success for our students and our community.”

The robust plan goes into effect on July 1 and includes several key items including:

• No increase in tuition costs for students. For 13 years, college president Dr. Jim Richey has considered this to be of utmost importance. The per credit hour tuition cost for lower division courses for Florida residents will remain at $104.

The per credit hour tuition cost for upper division courses for Florida residents will remain at $128.51. Non-Florida resident per credit hour rates will also remain unchanged at $405.76 and $508.92.

“Eastern Florida has and continues to do everything possible to provide our students with the strong support and outstanding education they need to be successful,” said Richey. “We will do it by focusing on our priorities and using our limited resources where they are most needed.”

• The largest “across the board base salary” increase for full-time faculty on record since the college’s inception in 1960 of $4,000 for each faculty member for the next contract year (depending upon faculty ratification of the collective bargaining agreement and Board approval). Adjunct Faculty are also receiving a 3-percent increase to their pay rates for the second year in a row.

“Maintaining a team of talented, professional faculty is the cornerstone of every top-tiered college,” said Dr. Richey. “Our faculty is second to none and I wanted this budget to reflect that next to our students, maintaining outstanding faculty is our highest priority. We recognize that they are the key to our students’ success and crucial to our continued status as a leader in higher education here in Florida.”

• A 3-percent pay raise for all full-time and regular part-time non-probationary staff, which marks the fourth consecutive year the college has been able to raise staff salaries.

• Additionally, the college will continue to pay 100-percent of the premium cost for its employees’ base health care plans, absorbing the anticipated 8-percent increase in premium costs for full-time staff and faculty, a benefit Dr. Richey feels is critical to remain highly competitive as an employer.

• Provides upgrades to college facilities, technological improvements, and ongoing projects such as the new Aerospace Center of Excellence (ACE) project on the Titusville Campus and the new Center for Innovative Technology Education (CITE) on the Melbourne Campus.

• Fully funds all academic programs and includes cost savings such as not filling non-critical vacant positions and closely monitoring organizational costs.

“We are also hopeful the Governor will sign off on the budget, which includes an additional $10 million to repurpose an existing building on our Cocoa Campus into our new Advanced Training Center (ATC), which will help us put thousands of students into the Space Coast’s growing workforce in quality jobs in future years,” said Richey.

“Our Florida leaders have been incredibly supportive of the Florida College system in general and specifically our college,” said Richey. “With our Governor leading the way, they have given us the necessary resources to move forward in a positive way next year. I am also particularly thankful to our outstanding Board of Trustees whose dedication and commitment to this college has proven to be invaluable.”

For more information about EFSC, its leadership and programs, visit easternflorida.edu.

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