Despite already high tuition, Howard Community College's trustees are preparing to raise the rates in order to give faculty members at the growing college a pay raise next fiscal year.

College board chairman T. James Truby said with state and county revenues flat or falling, the only way the college can avoid forcing instructors to go without even a minimal cost of living increase for a second year is by increasing the $114 per credit tuition charge perhaps as much as $5 a credit. Tuition has not changed in two years, Truby noted, while the college has sustained state budget cuts each of the last three fiscal years.

College president Kate Hetherington said that would produce about $600,000 in revenue for the institution, which has about 8,700 for-credit students. The college also teaches 17,400 non-credit students.

Hetherington stressed that the discussion is very preliminary, though she said a tuition increase is likely.