Del Tech asks for $76.2 million budget

Delaware Technical Community College is asking for a 1 percent increase in its 2015 budget for new teaching positions, maintaining existing programs and increasing salaries.

“Our top priority remains finding a stable and reliable funding source for the nursing and allied health positions,” President Orlando George told members of the Joint Finance Committee.

In response to county and police demand, he said, the college has created an accelerated program for nursing students and expanded the EMT/paramedic program.

The roughly $76.2 million budget is about $1 million more than the current budget, said Tammy Kelly Watkins, assistant vice president for marketing and public relations.

The budget increase would pay for five additional full-time public safety personnel to help maintain a safe campus and other student support positions, George said.

“We are also requesting nine positions that can make a difference for students both in and out of the classroom to ensure a well-maintained learning environment,” he said.

Del Tech employees would also receive a 1 percent raise, Watkins said.

Funding would help continue the Student Excellence Equals Degree program for graduating high school students in Delaware. Students with a high school GPA of at least 2.5 or 80 percent can qualify for free tuition at the school. They must maintain a GPA of 2.5 to keep the scholarship.

Additionally, George said the college is working on a pilot program to hire individuals with disabilities – a program that could be expanded statewide.