The State News Board of Directors approved a $2.16 million budget for the newspaper for the 2002-2003 fiscal year.

About $80,000 of that budget is covered by a $1 increase in student taxes approved in March, State News General Manager Marty Sprigg said. The State News, which is operated by a nonprofit corporation, taxes students enrolled in at least six credits $5 on their tuition bill. The March increase will be used to “play catch up” with rising costs, Sprigg said.

Since 1989, The State News has introduced several new features, including a Web site, color front pages, new sections, and an Academic Orientation Program magazine, Sprigg said.

“It helps tremendously,” Sprigg said of the tax. “It enables us to continue to produce, not only a paper every day, but to provide practical experience for 150-plus students every day.”

Sprigg said 30 percent of the budget goes toward student payroll. She said additional revenue from the tax will prevent cuts, despite moves by other newspapers in the state to cut services.