Schools
Freeholders Send Formal Letter: Charge Illegal Immigrants More to Attend CCM
School recently started accepting undocumented students for first time since 2001.
The Morris County Board of Freeholders might be OK with allowing illegal immigrants to attend the county's college. But they say it shouldn't be cheap.
The freeholders agreed Wednesday to send the County College of Morris trustees a letter asking that they return to a pre-9/11 policy that allowed illegal immigrants in so long as they paid the more expensive out-of-state tuition—which today is $9,417, compared to the in-county $3,270.
The college trustees meet again on March 16, when the issue is expected to be addressed.
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CCM spokeswoman Kathleen Brunet Eagan said Wednesday the college trustees can not respond to the freeholders’ action because trustees have not seen the letter suggesting the policy change.
Elaine Johnson, the college board’s chairwoman, said previously her board would consider a written request from the freeholders regarding the policy change.
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Freeholder Tom Mastrangelo, the board’s liaison to the college trustees, said that until the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the college allowed undocumented students to attend the Randolph school, but charged the out-of-state tuition rate. After the attacks, the school barred undocumented immigrants entirely.
In February, the college trustees altered the policy regarding the attendance of undocumented students. They could attend if they had come to the United States before they turned 16 and had lived here for a minimum of five years. The board voted to allow those students to attend the two-year school at the in-county tuition rate.
CCM charges Morris County residents, $3,720 per semester to attend. The out-of-county rate is $6,875, and the out-of-state rate is $9,417, Mastrangelo said.
Mastrangelo and Freeholder Margaret Nordstrom have headed up the freeholders’ efforts to discuss the policy change with the school.
“We felt the change was not fair to taxpayers,’’ Nordstrom said. “When undocumented students pay the in-county rate, Morris County taxpayers are subsidizing undocumented aliens.”
Freeholder Douglas Cabana said the policy change would affect approximately 40 students, but the total difference in tuition payments was $150,000.
