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College of Southern Maryland requests modest county increase; proposes water‑safety program and nonprofit institute funding
Summary
College of Southern Maryland requested a small increase in county support and sought $15,000 for a water‑safety pilot for all fifth graders and $40,000 to shore up a Southern Maryland Nonprofit Institute; college officials said increased tuition and enrollment fund most of the budget rise.
The College of Southern Maryland asked St. Mary’s County commissioners for a modest increase in county support for FY2013 and outlined several new or restored initiatives, including a water‑safety pilot for fifth graders and funding for a Southern Maryland Nonprofit Institute.
College representatives told the board the college’s total budget rise is driven primarily by higher tuition and projected enrollment growth; the county operating increase requested was relatively small after those offsets. The college asked the county to consider $15,000 to fund a one‑day countywide water‑safety program that would bring every fifth grader to the Leonardtown campus for concentrated water‑safety instruction and demonstrations. A college official said the program focuses on basic water‑safety skills and awareness rather than full swim‑training and noted many county children lack regular pool access.
The college also asked for $40,000 to support a part‑time coordinator and programming for a Southern Maryland Nonprofit Institute intended to build capacity among local nonprofit organizations by providing training in management, fundraising and board development. College officials said the institute would seek partners (including Charles County), pursue grants and aim to reduce future county support as external funding and program revenues develop.
College staff said about $99,000 of their requested increase reflected the employer share of the state retirement system (a potential cost shift depending on state action). The college indicated it expects most of the FY2013 increase to be covered by higher tuition revenue and other state allocations, and that the net county ask for recurring operating support was around $80,000 after offsets.
Commissioners asked for additional details about how the scholarship and nonprofit requests would be administered and whether the scholarship request could be split between a current‑use scholarship and an endowed fund. The college representative said scholarships are managed by the college foundation and can be designated for specific fields (for example, nursing), and that foundation administration minimizes additional administrative cost to the county.
Commissioners did not take a final action on the college’s requests and asked staff for more information in follow up.
