Budget Cuts Protect Core Offerings and Student Services

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Clackamas Community College leaders announced on Thursday budget reductions for the fiscal year beginning on July 1. The cuts, which will eliminate 20 positions at the college, protect core curriculum offerings and key student services.

With declining revenues, community colleges, along with every service that depends on state funding, are facing steep budget shortfalls. Less than a year ago, the state’s community colleges anticipated state funding of about $550 million. Today, after months of continued economic decline, the community colleges funding level appears to be in the vicinity of $430 million. At that level, CCC faces a $13.2 million shortfall over the biennium.

College administration, along with the representatives from the college’s three employee associations, has been working for months to craft a budget that will provide staffing for the college to meet its mission of providing lower-division collegiate classes, career and technical education, basic skills programs, workforce services and appropriate student support.

Employee associations, including the full-time faculty, classified support staff and managers, agreed to forego cost of living increases in the next year. That effort from employees will save the college $1.2 million. The Board of Education set tuition at $72 a credit for the coming school year, a level still among the lowest in the Portland metro area. Despite these efforts, the difficult decision to eliminate staff positions was made.

“Nothing is more difficult for me as college president than sharing with the college community that 20 employee positions have been eliminated,” said President Joanne Truesdell. “No one position in this college is more important or less important than another. The work that all employees do is valuable.”

The college also realized savings from freezing vacant positions and not filling those of retiring staff.
The positions eliminated came from divisions across the campus and included faculty, support staff and management. The college has also restricted its use of part-time employees as a cost-saving measure.

“Clackamas staff from across the campus participated in this budget process,” said Carlotta Collette, chairwoman of the CCC Board of Education. “Employees are willing to sacrifice for the good of the college. That is a true testament to the strength of Clackamas Community College.”

For more information, please contact Janet Paulson at 503-657-6958, ext. 2307.