I am pleased to report that at their June meeting, our District Board of Trustees unanimously approved the 2024-25 fiscal year operating budget for Tallahassee State College. Thanks to stable appropriation from the Legislature and a second year of positive enrollment projections, the budget is balanced with no tuition increase for students for the thirteenth straight year.

Beyond completing the implementation of our rebrand and continuing to expand our academic and workforce offerings – including eight new Associate of Science degrees – our budgetary focus for the upcoming year will center on two major initiatives that will directly benefit our employees. Our employees are our most valuable asset here at the College, and these projects represent another year of consistent progress towards ensuring we remain an employer of choice.

Employee Compensation. The College has initiated a comprehensive compensation study to help us confirm position classifications reflect accurate responsibilities and competitive salary ranges. The job market has changed dramatically in the past few years, and to recruit and retain talent it is imperative that we stay competitive within our employment market with comparable wages. Our consultant, Evergreen Solutions, has worked on multiple Florida College System and other higher education institutions to effect positive organizational change. We expect their recommendations for TSC by August and hope to have a plan in place by the second quarter of the fiscal year.

Please know my commitment that no one’s salary will be reduced by the findings and no one currently employed by the college needs to worry that their position will be eliminated as a result of this study.

Employee Benefits. This past legislative session, the Florida College System Council of Presidents’ top priority was advocating for the addition of all FCS employees into the State Group Health Insurance (SGHI). Those who have previously worked for the State of Florida or one of the State University System institutions know that the SGHI provides excellent coverage at an incredibly affordable premium. We are grateful for the support we received from the Legislature on this issue and to Governor Ron DeSantis for signing HB 5101 last week to add us to the program. We are now working with the Department of Management Services and Department of Education on implementation in time for our new benefits year.

More information on both of these projects will be shared in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, I want to thank our team for their hard work planning this year’s budget, and to our trustees for their steady and supportive governance. What we are able to accomplish each year with the resources we have is a testament not only to our good fiscal stewardship but also our dedication to our students and our community. It is my honor to lead Tallahassee State College into another bright year ahead.