Northampton Community College presents $81 million operating budget; cites enrollment gains and workforce training needs

Northampton Community College President Dave Ruth and Chief Financial Officer Jason Lobaugh presented the college’s proposed operating budget of about $81 million for fiscal year 2025–26 to the Saucon Valley School District board on Feb. 25, emphasizing recent enrollment growth and investments in workforce programs.

Lobaugh said the $81 million figure covers credit and noncredit instruction plus auxiliary enterprises; the capital budget was described at about $8.5 million. He told the board the credit-instruction portion is roughly $69 million and is rising about 3.15% over the prior year. “Total budget revenue expense is balanced at $81,000,000, 2.92 percent increase,” Lobaugh said.

Ruth described steady enrollment gains and said nearly one in four Northampton County high-school graduates enroll at NCC at some point. Lobaugh said NCC serves about 30,000…