Jefferson Community College trustees unanimously approved a $21,678,764 budget for the 2008-09 academic year Wednesday.

The budget includes a 3.7 percent, or $114, tuition increase for full-time students and reflects a $174,143, or 2.8 percent, decrease in state aid.

Operating costs and revenues are both up $239,608, or 1.2 percent, from this year. The college plans to use $478,000 of its fund balance in the next year, which would leave a balance of $1,311,859, or 6.2 percent of budget, for the 2009-10 year.

Before approving the budget, trustees cut $115,486 from their proposed plan after county legislators decided Tuesday to fulfill half of the college's request for a $500,000 increase.

The cuts included:

■ $42,000 for a proposed homeland security and public safety instructor.

■ $25,000 by not filling vacancies as quickly as proposed.

■ $21,000 in salary by starting an instructor of the college's new energy resource management center after a half-year instead of immediately.

The college proposed adding five instructors as part of its new strategic plan, including the two who were affected by cuts.

President Carole A. McCoy said the college will start building curriculum for the future homeland security and energy programs despite trimming the instructional positions.

"I don't know how we'll do it yet," she said. "But we're dead serious about the new strategic plan and how important it is to the college and to the community."

Mrs. McCoy said the public safety sector is "a big area of opportunity" for the college to build enrollment. She hopes the college can support courses for first responders as well as a police academy in future years.

The fiscal year begins Sept. 1.