Big Bend faces smaller budget

EPHRATA— Big Bend Community College was faced with a state budget cut of $1.2 million, which will result in a tuition increase of 7 percent and no funds to make improvements next year.

Administrators developed a financial plan and it was presented to the board of trustees Tuesday.

“The biggest thing we considered was maintaining the same level of service by not laying off any staff,” said Big Bend President William Bonaudi. “We were able to do this by not developing anything new.”

The plan involved closing any open faculty or staff positions.

“We had six faculty, three classified positions and a top administration position open that we had to relinquish,” Bonaudi said.

The college also gave up their equipment and travel budgets. These cuts were worth it to the board, who felt that cutting any staff positions should be the last resort, Bonaudi said. Many of the smaller programs only have one faculty member and a lay-off would mean the depletion of an entire program.

“It is important to maintain the opportunity for our students to get the education of their choice,” Bonaudi said. “And we can’t do that if we have to close a program.”

Chair of the Board Mike Blakely said the focus should be on making the available programs as successful as possible and not on what is unavailable.

“We can’t start up new programs until we have the funds and the flexibility,” Blakely said. “I’m proud of the decisions that were made. To me, what’s most important is that we saved jobs and maintained our programs.”

The lack of new programs and faculty will be felt, he added.

“The major impact of these reductions is in the computer science program,” said Bonaudi. “Since our last instructor retired, the current students will be able to continue on, but we won’t be able to admit any new students into the program.”

Instructors were at the top of the discussion and considered along with students as the top priority by the board. Instruction was the highest expenditure by 48 percent, topping such services as maintenance and administration, according to the board’s calculations.

The success of programs depends on having quality instructors, said vice president for financial and administrative services Gail Hamburg. They met with the deans of each department to discuss class ideas and get their perspective before finalizing budget decisions.

The financial aid office is working on effective ways to help students who will suffer from the tuition increase that has risen by $197.40 for full-time students. For students to be considered full-time, they are required to take a minimum of 15 credits.  The increase means that full-time students will have to pay $3,017.40 annually in the 2009-2010 school year, compared to the $2,820 they paid for last year.

“Tuition never stands still,” said executive director of BBCC’s foundation Doug Sly. “We always do what we can to keep our students in school.”

Tuition increases on about a yearly basis and is twice the rate of inflation, according to Sly. The college manages the increases by anticipating they will occur and attempting to increase scholarship and other financial awards.

“We’ve found that a little bit on money at just the right time makes a big difference,” Sly stated. “We work to raise money so we can raise awards on their behalf.”

The foundation office puts on fund-raising events to increase scholarships and created the intervention scholarship a couple of years ago. This scholarship takes excess money and sets it aside for eligible students to use during a financial emergency.

“I think we are doing remarkably well supporting students considering the times,” Sly said. “We realize this is a time when students need us the most.”

The financial situation won’t to get better anytime soon, in fact it may get worse, said Bonaudi.

Tuition is expected to raise another 7 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, raising the price by $211. Full-time students would be faced with a $3,228 annual payment. 

Administrators are hoping the situation will improve.

“My biggest fear is that the financial situation of the state will continue to deteriorate,” Bonaudi said. “If we had to take another cut of this magnitude we would have no wiggle room and it would have a huge impact (on the college).”

Despite the bad news, the board stands behind their cuts and believes the integrity of the college has been kept in tact.

“I’m grateful for all the work everyone put into this and what we have been able to maintain,” said board member Felix Ramon. “I hope that the financial situation of the state will start changing for the better.”

Bonaudi believes that students will feel good when they hear about the maintaining of programs and staff.

“I believe the operating budget gives an optimistic start to a new year,” Bonaudi said. “It sends a message to students that we are open for business and should be their first choice.”