Proposed budget to be presented for approval

As early as May 13, the Mt. Hood budget committee – consisting of the MHCC District board of education – will vote on the budget proposed by President Debbie Derr. Facing increasing challenges in meeting the financial demands placed on the college, the budget, like any good compromise, is not likely to leave everyone happy, however.

Many reductions were made, according to Derr’s formal budget presentation to the board members on April 8. They include: $260,000 savings by choosing to hold three administrative staff positions open; $91,000 savings through departmental “optimizations” (reductions); a $39,000 reduction in staff travel expenses; and reducing the part-time staff allotment, to the tune of $127,000.

A few additions proposed, according to the same budget document: addition of an Assistive Technologies Technician and captioning contract funds for Online Learning, along with $118,000 to address federal disabilities compliance concerns, and earmarking $84,000 to support Mt. Hood’s planned general obligation bond initiative campaign in the next 12 months. There are also departmental increases for Instruction and Instructional Support (1.9 percent above 2014-15 spending), Student Development (1.1 percent), College Support Services (1.1 percent), Facilities (2 percent), and Information Technology (1.5 percent).

Among the more controversial issues contained in the budget are a proposed $3.50 per-credit hour tuition increase, an $85,000 decrease in the student tuition waiver program, and new salary and compensation schedule increases for top campus managers and administrators and for the human resources department.

One of the most noteworthy points in the proposed budget is the continued, large jump in the amount of student loan and grant money. This money represents the amount of debt support available to students to pay for their education, from both the federal and Oregon state governments. During the 2013-2014 year, $42.1 million in loans and grants were available. This year, that number jumped to $84.2 million, a 100-percent increase in the amount of debt financing being offered to students – a somewhat unsettling trend.

To date, MHCC’s board members will not comment on the budget issues, besides providing the hard facts from the public documents available.

Higher-level administrators have declined the opportunity to answer questions on the budget, including reasoning behind the changes, posed both by The Advocate and Associated Student Government leaders.

Derr postponed a scheduled interview with The Advocate on Wednesday. According to members of the ASG Executive Cabinet, she also was “unable to meet” with student leaders until the day prior to a scheduled May 6 public hearing on the proposed budget, citing scheduling conflicts.