BUTLER TWP — Nick Neupauer, president of Butler County Community College, is among a delegation of community college presidents today supporting budget testimony before the state House Appropriations Committee.

Jerome Parker, president of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges, will deliver testimony today for the group. Neupauer has a leadership role with the commission.

Budget cuts will significantly affect community colleges, which already have tight budgets, Diane Bosak, executive director of the commission, which represents the state’s 14 community colleges, said.

“We are going to tell the appropriations committee that we are accepting the challenge of the 10 percent cut,” Bosak said.

“We want to minimize the impact on our students,” she added.

At BC3, the cut translates into a probable tuition hike for more than 4,000 students and an $843,707 loss in the 2011-12 operating budget.

In addition, the elimination of funding for dual enrollment programs and other line item cuts raise BC3’s funding loss to between $1.2 million and $1.3 million.

For example, the $7 million dual enrollment state budget line item has been eliminated. If BC3 cannot work with local high schools to fund it, the college could lose $172,744 it earned from the program this year.

Rep. Brian Ellis, R-11th, sits on both the appropriations committee and on the BC3 board. He has been supportive of Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget.

“Like families in Butler County do every day, state government can only spend the money it has; doing otherwise is irresponsible,” Ellis said in a statement on his website after the budget was released.

BC3’s current budget is about $26 million. The college’s budget for the 2011-12 year will be presented to the board of trustees in May.

Although it has not been finalized, the college estimates it could gain $600,000 by charging full-time tuition for students who take 12 to 17 credits in a semester. In Nov. 2010, administrators said full-time tuition might run $1,590 per semester. Until now, Butler County residents paid $104 per credit.