All Faculty Email Update from CCFT President Paul Harvell
April 14, 2008
A Bridge to Where?
The college will soon begin a new phase of budgetary planning, and a drastic change it is.
Budget cuts for this year (2007/2008) are done and have been forwarded to the board. Decisions regarding next year’s budget will be brought to CPC at CPC’s next meeting, April 16th, but next year’s budget is “bridge”.
The budget cuts planned for 2008/2009 are less than half of the currently planned deficit of $1,500,000. The rest of the money will come from a draw down of reserves. Our district has healthy reserves, and this is an appropriate use of them. This makes next year a “bridge” year, buying time to make more difficult decisions of how to cut another million dollars from our spending. Decisions about reducing programs and laying workers off should not be hasty or reactively panic driven. We have bought time, and that clock starts now.
Cutting another million dollars out of the 2009/2010 will hurt. There’s no way it can’t. What we have some control over is how it hurts us, how focused the cuts are or how wide the pain is spread. The conversations needed to bring us to some conclusion will not be easy. The shape of that process or those discussions is unknown, but it will be college wide and will look at every program in every component of the college. And it is hard to see how it will not translate into some layoffs.
Things to remember: we’re talking about budgets, which are planned expenditures and planned revenues based on current assumptions – plans are not reality. Many of those assumptions are built upon the Governor’s current proposed budget. The “May Revise” will provide an updated set of assumptions and something closer to what will occur. The future may look quite different, thus the title of this. Next year is a bridge year, but it’s far from clear what’s on the other side of that bridge.
Things can get better in the future: Categorical funding might not be slashed as severely. The state may look to increase tax revenues. The economy might strengthen. Growth could be funded at increased amount. Some COLA could be re-instated in the budget. Maybe layoffs won’t have to happen.
Things can get worse: Fees could be raised to $26 (which could mean fewer students. A 5% drop would be a decrease in $2.5 million in funding). Larger budget cuts could be proposed to dealing with a deepening state fiscal crisis. Medical costs could rise more than expected (next year’s costs are rising by about $200,000 more than planned). Growth could not be funded (we’re planning on an additional $500,000 from growth next year).
What CCFT is doing?
Next week, the CCFT Council will discuss the proposed cuts at our Council meeting. The meeting is Monday, April 21, from 2:30-4:30 in the Sesnon House, room 1804. All faculty are invited to attend. Alternatively, you may share your input with your CCFT rep ahead of time.
This week, CCFT kicks off a “One Faculty” program. CCFT represents all faculty, and the CCFT council is going to try to get in touch with in real time (read: not by e-mail) every faculty member. We’ll be tabling in the mailroom. We’ll be dropping into offices on campus. We’ll be making phone calls home. Please feel free to share any thoughts or feelings with us.
CCFT will also provide timelier budget news and analysis. We’ll be opening a space on our web site for just budget items. Even though next year’s cuts will be unveiled at the April 16th CPC, next year’s budget will be an evolving plan as state and local conditions change or become known, so we want keep information flowing. We will also continue to communicate via our newsletter and email.
Negotiations about compensation: CCFT is currently negotiating compensation for next year. The district’s position is clearly stated in the budget: they have no unallocated budgeted funds. Step and column increases are still in the budget for those not at the top of their column. Also, there are planned increases in the cost of medical benefits.