BOSTON — North Shore public colleges suffered a further round of cuts when Gov. Deval Patrick signed the state budget Wednesday.
Patrick vetoed nearly $2 million in state funding for Salem State College and North Shore Community College because the state still hasn't received stalled federal dollars.
The colleges had planned for the cuts. But that didn't make the news any easier, particularly as the cost to attend public colleges continues to rise.
"It's been difficult," Salem State spokeswoman Karen Cady said. "We have fewer people, and we're stretched."
Salem State lost $1.5 million from the vetoes, while some $369,956 from North Shore Community College's funding fell to the governor's pen, as well.
At the same time, student fees at Salem State are set to climb more than 5 percent in the fall, hiking the total cost of in-state undergraduate enrollment to $7,230 a year.
The college is down 60 to 70 positions over the last three years as state funding began to dwindle. In 2008, Salem State received about $52 million from the state, Cady said. This year, the number will tumble to its lowest level in years — $34.2 million.
"Basically what we're trying to do is be conservative with everything and make cuts where it doesn't impact what we give students," Cady said.
At North Shore Community College, the challenge is to educate an enrollment that increased 13 percent in the fall with significantly less money, according to President Wayne Burton.
The college will receive $2.4 million less in funding than it did last year, Burton said.
North Shore Community College has also had to increase student fees, and about a half-dozen positions have been frozen. The college also expects to save money by keeping energy costs down, cutting back on marketing and saving paper.
The governor's public education vetoes were hardly limited to the North Shore. Just about every public college, university and community college across the state faced similar cuts as Patrick vetoed $457 million in spending.
"The pain is widespread and will require state agencies, cities and towns, not-for-profits and working families across the state to do more with less," Patrick said moments before signing the budget in his office Wednesday.
The cuts to colleges resulted because Congress hasn't approved federal Medicaid matching funds. Both colleges approved their budgets assuming the money wouldn't be available.
"There still may be help on the way, but my assumption is we'll live with the budget the governor signed, and our plans are based on that," Burton said.
At times, the ordeal has left college presidents feeling helpless.
"We're keeping very tight control over our finances for the next couple years," Burton said. "As I told my staff this morning, 'Pray for recovery.'"
Staff writer Chris Cassidy can be reached at ccassidy@salem news.com.
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