By Mary Owen
Doom and gloom over the state’s proposed 3 percent drop in funding to colleges and universities has spawned a few rumors about possible impacts on Chemeketa Community College.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s recommended budget for the 2009-2011 biennium slashed $15 million in support for the state’s seven universities and 17 community colleges, a drop that could leave Chemeketa administrators scrambling for ways to keep services and classes intact.
Administrators will know more about the impact of the budget cuts after reviewing the recently released state economic forecast. If dismal, the college may have to cut funds from the remaining months of this biennial budget, said Greg Harris, CCC’s public information officer. “We’ll have to make some adjustments,” he said. “We’re definitely tightening our belts!”
To help offset the revenue loss, CCC administrators recently asked its Board of Education to consider a $10.50 per credit increase in tuition and fees for Oregon residents. CCC students currently pay $61 per credit for tuition, and that cost would rise to $70 starting in 2009, if approved.
Tuition funds account for 23 percent of Chemeketa’s general fund, with local taxes providing 24 percent and state resources providing 44 percent. Miscellaneous revenues and the beginning fund balance forwarded from the previous year account for the remaining 9 percent of revenues.
The state’s $175 million job stimulus and investment package and the federal government’s $789 million stimulus package may provide some relief. Included in the latter are some $17 billion for Pell grants and about $200 million for federal work-study programs for college students, according to the College Media Network.
Added to CCC’s proposed tuition increase and a $50 million bond sold in October after the passage of $92 million bond measure in May 2008, funds received from the stimulus packages may buy CCC a little more time to address and resolve its budget struggles.
