Big Bend faces state funding cut

MOSES LAKE — Big Bend Community College’s board members reviewed the upcoming re-construction projects after the state cut more funding.

“I love our Big Bend family and the fact that we have been able to keep everything in tact despite the crisis speaks volumes,” said board member Katherine Kenison during Tuesday’s meeting.

The college received an additional state cut of $120,000 this week. They do not expect to cut any programs or faculty.

“This is a very serious financial situation and we need to reduce spending as much as possible,” said vice president of financial and administrative services Gail Hamburg. “We are spending as frugally as possible.”

Big Bend was faced with a state budget cut of $1.2 million earlier this summer, which resulted in a tuition increase of 7 percent and there are no funds to make program improvements next year. President Bill Bonaudi closed all positions open for hire to avoid laying off any faculty members.

“To me, what’s most important is that we saved jobs and maintained our programs,” Bonaudi said. “It is important to maintain the opportunity for our students to get the education of their choice, and we can’t do that if we have to close a program.”

The board and administrators are working to ensure the same quality of classes and teaching is in place. Employees received training this week.

“They have been asked to work harder and do a lot more with a lot less people,” said board chair Felix Ramon. “I think it is rewarding that we have such dedicated employees here that have been more than willing to step up.”

Ramon was appointed chair of the board at Tuesday’s meeting, replacing Mike Blakely, who served as chair for a year.

“I think Mike did an excellent job,” Ramon said. “He is very dedicated to the college and to education and is very concerned that young people have the opportunity to change.”

The board rotates the board chair position every year between members. Ramon said his spirits are high despite assuming the position at a troubling time.

“I’m very concerned about the budget situation,” he said. “But am very happy we’ve been able to maintain our staff.”

The community college’s staff updated media this summer to improve college aesthetics.

Big Bend staff updated the Web site’s program pages and faculty listings, said director of public information Autumn Weis.

“The same information is there, it is just organized differently and is more user friendly,” she said.

The faculty pages have an e-mail link and picture by each name and the home page features a student telling visitors how to use the site.

It will be available by the end of the week.

Various walkways around the Big Bend buildings will be repaired at the end of the month using capitol funding. The areas were declared by Grant County fire inspectors to be non-compliant and hazardous.

“These changes will improve safety and beautify our campus,” Hamburg said.

The developments will be completed by the time new students arrive in the fall, said Hamburg.

Despite the tuition increase, There are 50 percent more students attending Big Bend next year. This is good and bad news for the college, said Ramon.

“Anytime we have more student it takes a little extra effort,” Ramon explained. “We will try to hold back purchases of any kind and make sure that we have enough money to be able to provide classes for our increased enrollment.”

Bonaudi said the college may have to announce a financial emergency in a couple weeks. A declaration of a financial emergency would mean that faculty members would only have a 30 day notice of layoffs and the grounds to appeal the decision would be limited, he explained. This law was passed by the state in 1981.

“This doesn’t mean we are looking at layoffs, but it is a possibility we have to be aware of,” Bonaudi said.

Board members and administrators are trying to avoid this as much as possible, Ramon said.

“This is something we won’t be going into lightly,” Ramon said. “We just have to keep working.”