By Ben Markley
The college will soon start planning the management budget for the next fiscal year.
Don Perkins, Executive Director of the Budget and Auxiliary Services, said that the nation’s ongoing economic problems have put pressure on the budget.
“We’ve had to make certain cuts,” Perkins said. “We’ve tried to do that in a way that still allows the college to fulfill its mission.”
The decrease in property value was a struggle for the college since local property tax contributes to nearly half of the college’s revenue.
Bob Drummond, Board of Trustees Treasurer, said that the solution lies in other sources of revenue and not in changing the property tax.
“We’ve taken a pretty firm stand that this is not the time to raise taxes for our county,” Drummond said.
Said, Joe Sopcich, Executive Vice President of Administrative Services, the college remedied this problem last year by cutting around $5 million in expenses and re-investing $1 million.
This approach was referred to as Prioritizing the Budget Strategically (PBS). Sopcich said, the college will be using PBS again in the next fiscal year.
Sopcich said another pressure comes from increased enrollment.
“What happens is when the economy goes down, enrollment goes up,” Sopcich said.
While the increase in tuition brings more revenue, Perkins said the college is wary about raising tuition costs.
“We’re always concerned about it being set properly,” he said. “We’re worried about it being a burden to students.”
Drummond said that when the budget faces cuts, keeping quality instructors is always a priority.
“The heart and soul of [the college] is student success, so we’re very, very careful to guard everything that surrounds that,” Drummond said.
Perkins said that despite America’s current economic situation, he does not anticipate any negative surprises for the college.
“I believe the downward trend has ended, but recovery is going to be slow,” Perkins said.
Sopcich said the college has handled economic hardship well, citing the Regnier Center, the Nerman Museum, and the new culinary building project as testimonies to its success.
“We’re in one of the worst economic times since the Depression, and look at what the campus has done.” Sopcich said.
Sopcich said, a deeper knowledge of the budget would be beneficial for students, and it would give them a better sense of what the school provides.
“I think information is always good…this knowledge should deepen [students’] appreciation for what we have here.”
Contact Ben Markley, news assignment editor, at bmarkle2@stumail.jccc.edu.