By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
For the period ending Oct. 31, Barton Community College reported an increase in revenue by more than $2.3 million compared to this time last year. Tuition is up more than $777,000 from last year. Local tax revenue, state aid and interest are also up.
Barton Vice President of Administration Mark Dean said expenditures also increased by more than $313,000, but that is not unusual for this time of the year.
"We're frontloaded in a lot of different areas," said Dean. "Some departments purchase everything for the whole year in the July, August and September timeframe. We always run a little bit hot this time of the year. This year, we paid our property insurance all in a lump sum versus it being spread out multiple months."
The 2024-2025 budget at Barton estimated more than $37 million in revenue. Through October, the college had $14.7 million.
Barton saw a 15.9% jump in enrollment this fall compared to last year’s numbers. The preliminary report had Barton with 5,092 students enrolled in classes.