Big Bend prepares for budget cuts

MOSES LAKE - With checks from the state getting smaller every month, Big Bend Community College is preparing for budget cuts between $600,000 and $1 million.

"The state has to produce a balanced budget and so they somehow have to make expenditures match revenues," says Big Bend president Bill Bonaudi. "Basically their approach so far to higher education has been to reduce their subsidy to state colleges."

When two-thirds of funding is state-produced, Big Bend will feel the pinch more than private institutions since all federal money for community colleges comes through the state board.

"We have to figure out how to get by with less money. That's the challenge this situation presents to us," Bonaudi said.

Traditionally, the Legislature has tried to help by raising tuition which would allow colleges to keep more of the money they collect. But with a seven-percent increase in tuition at Big Bend over the last three years, Bonaudi says he doesn't want to see the cost rise any higher. Bonaudi added that he worries the tuition increase would chase away prospective students.

But so far, the students just keep coming.

In order to attend the classes at a higher cost, students are having to borrow more money than ever before. Students are $2,000 more in debt this year than at the same time last year, according to Bonaudi.

Gail Hamburg, vice president of financial and administrative services, said Big Bend won't know the exact amount they'll be expected to cut until the supplemental budget committee of the state legislature meets in January or February.

"We're doing more with less, not only money-wise but people-wise as well," Hamburg said.

Big Bend gathered a "budget review task force" on campus which helps in determining what the new budget should look like if cuts reach $1 million.

"Equipment costs have been cut in half and any travel has to be approved through the president's office," Hamburg said.

Although the current cuts have mostly been on the administrative side and  do not hurt students directly, programs could see fewer classes and resources if administrators can't keep the funds they need.

"We've tried to keep the impact on our students minimal," said Hamburg. "But full-time staff who leave or retire will have to stop being replaced if we don't have the means."

The existing staff will have to take on more responsibility.

The administrators were sure to include two student representatives, Associated Student Body president John Buhler and Treasurer Brandon Brooke, who are on budget review task force to give a student perspective on the cuts.

"It's just kind of a big sacrifice that everyone is having to make," Buhler said. "I was impressed with how they wanted to keep as much available for students as they could. They want to do anything and everything to protect the students."

The budget task force has convened once a month over the past three months and discuss ideas on budget revising and cutting-back, according to Buhler.

The college is also trying to cut back in smaller areas such as paper use by putting more things online and limiting the number of copies they are allowed to make. 

"I don't think the cuts are apparent to students yet because of the way students and staff are handling it," Buhler added.