San Jose City College Budget
California Community College System
San Jose-Evergreen Community College District
Finance Committee Budget Recommendations, 2009/10
- Increase the adjunct budget to the full amount expected for 09/10.
The committee believes costs for this can be contained by observing the following:
- Keep the class schedule at the fall 07/spring 08 level of courses rather than the expanded 08/09 schedule
- Continue to scrutinize course offerings strategically and consider reducing offerings that do not meet the criteria set forth in:
- Standards for Budget Decisions 09/10 (approved by CPC)
- Principles for Budget Development – Scheduling Principles (approved by District Budget Committee
- Figure in adjunct savings from the increase in full-time positions
The committee recommends that every effort be made each year to fully and permanently budget a realistic amount for the planned cost of adjunct instructors.
- Fund the child care center under the following conditions:
- Funds generated from leasing out the EVC child care facilities are used to offset costs
- CalWorks money is used to cover costs to the extent possible
- The District Office funds any additional costs
- There continues to be research on ways to improve efficiency
- An annual program review is conducted
- Increase the tutoring budget to the level determined necessary only after a thorough review of the program and its structure.
The committee supports budgeting a realistic amount for the needed costs of tutoring, which may total the requested $30,000, and then having the tutoring program operate within that budgeted amount. Before determining the amount, the committee recommends a thorough review of the program by its stakeholders, which includes tutoring, reading and writing centers, math labs and any other program that may apply as well as a review of funding opportunities that could be available through BSI and other funding scenarios.
- Fund the following augmentation requests as follows:
- Fund the LRC Lab Clerk position and the Art models
These were the top priority items identified by the VPs that cannot be covered by funds from elsewhere (categorical funds or reorganization/transfer).
- Do not fund any of the other augmentation requests at this time unless their costs can be budgeted from funds currently in the budget
- Fund the grant matching Requirement (DSPS, EOPS, SFA)
This money must be budgeted to save the matching funds to these programs.
- Keep a combination of classified and management positions vacant.
In determining which positions to fill and which to leave vacant, the committee recommends the following:
- Fill positions which are crucial for safety
- Fill positions which involve direct instruction to students.
- Determine which positions to fill or hold vacant by applying Standards for Budget Development 2009/2010 and any other established criteria.
The committee acknowledges that in keeping positions vacant, a work burden is placed on other personnel and other problems may ensue if the work of the position is not done. The committee believes that the burden of unfilled positions should be shared by both classified and management personnel. Every effort should be made to examine how the work of each position, classified and management, can be completed, and creative solutions should be found while keeping positions vacant in both areas. Examples of solutions for savings on management positions include the following:
- Do not fill the Dean of Counseling position but consolidate the dean of EOP&S and Special Programs with the Dean of Counseling; give reassigned time to have a Lead Counselor to assist the Dean.
- Do not fill the Dean of Language Arts position; give reassigned time to a faculty member to serve as division chair and fill the most critical duties.
- Reorganize the grounds and custodial department and not hire the new Facilities Manager.
- If further cuts are needed due to further reductions in expected revenue, the committee recommends that the options presented to the District Budget Committee be thoroughly explored and considered by the various campus and district groups before any more reduction in force is implemented. The committee is grateful that cost savings for many of the options which have been suggested by the campus community have been calculated and presented. This allows thoughtful consideration of the options and their impact by the various stakeholders. These options include:
GREEN initiative savings
Possibility of a 4-day work week
Employee contributions to health care
Keeping full-time faculty positions vacant
Reducing the schedule
Cutting salaries
- After exploring and exploiting every other option, if reduction in force is necessary, then the following is recommended :
- Make reductions in areas that will least harm the college mission, strategic planning, long-term health and eventual ability to recover
- Review, update and act upon the college strategic plan continuously throughout the reduction period