Dan Rothwell
“Catastrophizing” is defined by psychologist John Grohol on the PsychCentral blogging site as “an irrational thought that something is far worse than it actually is.” Such is the case when the budget is presented to the College Board. Thus, the Board felt compelled to increase the college reserve from 5% to 7% of the total budget and it plans to add another 3% in the near future. The impact of this budget catastrophizing is significant. When the Great Recession began in 2008, there were 228 full-time faculty, according to Cabrillo’s “Final Budget” document of September 14, 2015. That same document shows that in fall 2015 the number has dropped to 189, a loss of 39 full-timers. During the same period, the college has lost 77 adjunct positions and 43 classified positions. “The sky is falling” has led to a massive loss of employees. Millions of dollars have been “saved” by this “right sizing” effort.
The college has millions of dollars sitting idle, but because we may face a potential future “crisis,” we better be prepared by locking away huge sums of money. When Conrad asked at the November Board meeting whether the reserve money had ever been spent in the entire history of the college, the answer was “No,” with no elaboration. We survived the Great Recession without spending a dime of the reserve, yet we need to add to the reserve? Why? Our net ending balance this last year, money left over at the end of the year, was 19.8% of our total budget (more than $14 million), and the stated goal is to keep it at 20%. The 20% figure, however, is arbitrary predicated on unspecified criteria. Why not make the figure 10% instead of 20%, leaving substantial money for employee compensation. Why not spend more money on employee compensation and less money on imagining catastrophes that even during the greatest economic collapse since the Great Depression, never required tapping into the reserve.
Cabrillo received 10.5 million additional dollars this year in categorical funds and another $3 million in base budget money, according to the same budget document previously cited. That is a huge increase from the previous year. Ultra-conservative budgeting imagines catastrophes lurking around every corner. Yes, there is some risk in presenting a more liberal budget, but the alternative is to squirrel away massive resources to protect against financial disasters that in the entire history of the college have never materialized. Granted, we have experienced difficult economic times in the past, our expenses have increased, and enrollment has dropped (although most agree that the decline has bottomed out and enrollment will probably gradually increase). Huge sacrifices have been made to accommodate previous hard times. Our budget this year, however, has increased significantly and will likely improve even further next year. The cost of living in Santa Cruz is among the highest on the planet, but our faculty salaries have plummeted in comparison to other community college districts in California. The administration regularly touts Cabrillo College as a top-tier institution of higher learning. Try paying us accordingly.
It is long past due that this iron grip on college resources be relaxed and employee compensation be significantly increased. The only real lurking catastrophe is the continual loss of talented, dedicated employees and the enormous damage that such losses inflict on the college we cherish.