MIDDLETOWN – The SUNY Orange budget for academic year 2020-21 was approved by the college board of trustees on Wednesday.
It includes $19.4 million from Orange County – that is two percent more than this past year; about $12 million from the state and the remainder from student tuition and fees. Tuition will increase by $192 for the year.
The big question that remains is if the state which cut its projected funding because it is facing a multi-billion-dollar deficit.
College President Dr. Kristine Young said Albany could cut its funding anywhere from 20 percent to 50 percent.
“Fifty-percent of the state’s allocation amounts to about $6.5 million to SUNY Orange and $6.5 million is about 10 percent, roughly, of our overall operational budget. That is a very significant impact on operational budget for next year, so we would be looking at very serious decisions about how to remedy that,” she said.
The college has been operating with remote classes as the Middletown and Newburgh campuses are effectively shuttered because of COVID-19. Summer classes will also be online, but it is unknown at this time how courses will be addressed in the fall semester.
