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College prepares final budget proposal for Board
The Advocate
As Oregon’s community college budget continues to fluctuate, the state funding level could regain momentum and rise as high as $460 million for the 2009-2011 biennium — up from the previous predicted level of $423 million, according to Mt. Hood Community College Director of Fiscal Operations JoAnn Zahn.
“When we were preparing the budget, we didn’t know what spring term’s revenue would be,” said Zahn. “Enrollment has been better than expected, so revenue has increased as well.”
Zahn said the proposed 2009-2010 budget, which was approved by the district budget committee in April, had an operating number of $56.395 million, but said the budget to be proposed at Wednesday’s board meeting will jump an additional $2 million.
“The collective bargaining numbers have been in a flux,” said Zahn. “The estimated savings based on everything that faculty has been willing to do – which includes the retired positions, the give-backs of four days worth of salary – has given the budget an estimated savings of $1.2 million.”
Zahn said the April proposal was created with the idea the college would receive $22 million a year in state funding, but said the final budget may have the capacity for $23 million with the possible increase in funding.
“There will be some obvious adjustments,” said Zahn. “Everyone just has to keep in mind that it is all just a plan and an estimate. We need to make sure the (Oregon Budget) co-chairs’ budget lines up with our own.”
MHCC President John Sygielski knows the budget will be in a state of near constant change until the budget is adopted.
“The budget doesn’t even have to be set until the end of June anyway,” said Sygielski. “So we can adopt one next week, but it might not be entirely set until we know what kind of funding we’ll get for sure.”
Sygielski said discussions with legislators on whether the state funding number would be lower or higher than the aforementioned $423 million was neutral.
“There’s hope that it could be higher and there’s talk that it could be the same, so we don’t really know right now,” said Sygielski.
Sygielski praised the work that State Sen. Rod Monroe has done in working with legislators to get the funding level as high as possible.
“He’s been talking to and engaging his peers,” said Sygielski. “He’s educating them about why Oregonians need community colleges funded.”
Sygielski said he’s optimistic that whatever happens with the budget and the college will be able to work with it.
“I’m optimistic about our opportunities as an institution,” said Sygielski. “There’s renewed energy on campus. We’ll be more creative, we’ll leverage partnerships, we’ll do what we need to do to make the college successful. These are the types of events (economic troubles) that allow us to be more creative.”
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