Q Are we going to experience even more cuts during the fall semester of 2010?
A Currently it is unknown what the future reductions will be. However, information reported in the news indicates projected budget revenues are less than anticipated. If the first three months are indicative of a trend, the state will be down 4.4 billion from projected revenues. It is indicative of future budget cuts but how much is unknown.
Q If so, do you know by how much?
A This is unknown at the present time.
Q Has the state cut the allocation further?
A Not at this time, however, the Governor’s budget will be released in January 2010, and we will move quickly to make current year adjustments (with the unknown impact with loss of revenue) as well as adjustments for the 2010-2011 budget year.
The Community College League of California indicated on August 13, 2010, that we have several challenging budget years ahead. In 2010-11, we are anticipating a 2% cut (and the loss of the federal funds), and might begin to see cost-of-living adjustments and growth in 2012-13 at the earliest. As the lowest funded community college system in the country, we can’t always do more with less. Nevertheless, there are ways that we can do business that are smart both to the “bottom line” and that minimize our impact on our natural resources.
Q Where are the cuts going to be mostly?
A Scott Lay, President and Chief Executive Officer of Community College League of California recently took responses from a query about what we can do to improve student success during difficult budget times. Of course this is linked to proper funding streams. Below are some of the comments received relative to specific areas. Some of the issues and challenges we will face as a college, district and a community college system will be on how we make adjustments with potential budget reductions in three areas:
In Student Services where we have Statewide mandatory assessment and improved placement/prerequisites, how we will encourage students to apply for financial aid so “life doesn’t get in the way”, how we will attempt to restore matriculation funding, even if it means cutting elsewhere, how we will require faculty to take responsibility for counseling and guidance; assign a faculty mentor to every incoming student and implement a “case management” approach, even if it requires reducing the number of students served, how to find a way to make students actually study and encourage peer tutoring and assign counselors to curricular cluster areas.
In Instruction and Articulation we will need to significantly limit repeatability in credit basic skills classes and shift repeating students to noncredit or adult education courses after multiple unsuccessful attempts, we will need to implement degree auditing software that can strengthen guidance and better measure student outcomes and use degree auditing software to identify successful pathways/course sequences. We will need to implement common-course numbering in all three segments for basic general education. In the Funding and Administration we need to suspend mandates related to 50% law and full-time faculty obligations, some action could be to consolidate districts and reduce the number of administrators, enact the Accelerated Learning College Proposal, seek external support from large foundations, enhance college foundations and alumni outreach, significantly increase student fees to both raise revenue and increase the “cost” of dropping classes/programs and save money through statewide purchasing of databases and supplies.
In Enrollment Management we may prioritize first-time freshmen and students on a clear path, shift low priority programs to community service/fee-for-service, reduce enrollment to match funding needed for success, recognize state savings from physical education, reduce college expenditures on intercollegiate athletics and cap the number of units a student can take without a waiver.
These are all possibilities to address funding shortfalls but no decisions have been made and we do not know to what extent any impact of any one or combination would have on student success and final fiscal impact.
Q How will they affect the school and students?
A The California Postsecondary Education Commission website, www.cpec.ca.gov gave a recent report on Community College Enrollment Demand Projection, 2009-2019. This report outlines the community college enrollment demand and the subsequent impact of lack of funding to colleges. The summary on page 3 of the report is concise and explicit at the same time. Some items are:
The state should prepare for 222,234 additional community college students by 2019.
Community Colleges serve over 2 million students annually and by fall 2016 the system will serve more than 2 million each fall term.
Because the state is unable to provide enrollment growth funding, the number of prospective students not being served over the next two years could total 400,539.
54 of the 72 (75%) community college districts are facing capacity pressures, in that they are serving more full-time equivalent students (FTES) than recommended by state classroom utilization standards.
Q What will be affected the most? Least?
A Our college and district are committed to the following;
Maintaining student access
Meeting full-time faculty obligation
Funding current certificated and classified employees
Categorically funded programs will remain within their budget allocation
Not using reserves, as they will be needed in FY 10-11
With the funding in question, the above bullet points’ sustainability is questionable. The question is not being evaded, but the funding is an unknown which has a major bearing on the decisions that will have to be made.
Q What percentage of classes will be reduced for Fall 2010? Spring 2010?
A These are unknown at this time and subject to funding.
Q Will supporting programs be reduced?
A The answer is very likely to be yes. Picture this example and remember we are dealing with the 50% law (50% of our expenses must be spent in classroom instruction). With reduced funding through lack of growth and reduction in work load, all areas will need to shrink in expense to meet the mandate of the 50% law. As such, reduced funding will curtail the offering of instructional programs and other areas such as counseling, and library hours may be reduced even further. The impact will encompass all supporting programs.
Q Even though the economy seems to be going back up, why do we not see any upturns yet?
A The economy is in a dismal state of affairs. On August 25, 2009 the Board of Equalization (BOE) reported the asset valuation for property in California has dropped 2.4% or 107 billion dollars. This has been the first drop since 1933 after the Great Depression. Proposition 98’s guaranteed funding is provided through a combination of the state General Fund (GF) and local property taxes. We will be in a protracted recession for the next two years. The measure of an economic upturn will be the reduction in the unemployment rate, which will rise above 10% in the coming months. When the economy begins to emerge sometime in early 2011 it will take 18 months before we see any benefit to educational funding.
