Budget Development 2002-2003

Lane Home Search Lane

1. The criteria suggested in your email don't seem to cover the notion of strategic importance - what is the growth potential. This is particularly important in the area of online education.

2. When the only cuts considered were in classes, faculty, and programs as opposed to analyzing all costs in the college such as administrative and/or costs for equipment and capital.

3. Is the function legally mandated or a statutory necessity (like Purchasing, Auditing, Banking, Budget Coordination, Fire and Safety, etc.)

4. My particular job,___________ serves both instructors and students.  Almost all testing for the _______ classes  takes place in the lab rather than in the classroom. In addition, there are 180-200 students per term in -_________program which use the lab extensively, and my job includes grading much of their work for the term.  Therefore, maybe an additional criteria should be added to your list - jobs/programs which support instructors as well as students,  which allow them to increase program FTE by taking on more students in their classrooms.  (Without the assistance I provide to the instructors, they would not be able to teach such large classes *30-35 per class *).   I'm sure the other Instructional Specialists on campus make similar impacts on the FTE for their departments.
 

5. When I first visited LCC (being a fairly new resident of the area) I was struck by the fact that free social services were available here (that could also be found at agencies in town) for anyone in the community, not just students (e.g., career development and employment counseling).  That has to be a drain on the budget, if it's still the case.  It seems to me that if corners need to be cut, the college should focus on keeping academic programs (what colleges are meant to offer) over social services.

Also, now that we have dual enrollment w/ U. of O., perhaps some of our services are being duplicated there, and the two could be consolidated (with shared funding, of course). Just a thought.

6. Hello, I think that Cooperative Education and Training & Development and Transition to Success are very viable departments.  3/4's of the students here are dislocated workers or women in transition, getting them back to work is the #1 priority in their lives . That is exactly what these department do for students. As a women who came back to school to update my skill enough to make a  living wage, these department have been invaluable. Please look at how many students are helped by them, before you cut them.
 

7. I can say in my short 6 months here I am very concerned with the organization of LCC, the duplication, the confusion for the public (our students), and the disregard for those individuals who carry the major portion of the work load for the minor portion of the compensation.  In the private sector, Lane would have been out of business a long time ago.  Sad, but true.

8. What would be the cost to the college if we did not have this service?
     a.  Get student input.
     b. Value to community
Thanks for the opportunity to provide input and for the ideas that you presented in your e-mail.

9. I think one area that should be explored and I know it is on the list of the BAG committee's recommendations is for more revenue ideas.  The one that first comes to mind, is the collection of indirect on grants and contracts.  We are not asking for indirect on many grants where we could and the agency allows it.

10. Lane Family Connections  (is) a program at Lane that serves Lane County. LFC is Lane Counties child care resource and referral program. We are the only program in Lane County that provides support to families using the child care system or to child care businesses that are providing the service.  We provide statistical information for the Oregon State Benchmarks for the supply and demand for child care in Lane County.

Our program has been at Lane for the past 11 years and in Lane County for 14 years.  The program is primarily funded by grants and fees for service.   We receive a total of $ 4,700 from the general funds for support.  But we do receive other support from the college by means of a new building (part of the bond), computer services, and other support from departments for the program.  Our program survives because of the support that the college provides in support services.
LFC provides a program that is essential in providing support to student families, families that live in Lane County, employers, and providers of child care programs. Our program provides training and support to the child care system in our community.  We are able to provide a variety of services in the evening and weekend hours when providers can attend.  We provide FTE to the college through these training  classes.

I understand the difficulty in cutting programs and/or services.  We must evaluate our programs and services each biennium or funding cycle.  I think what is really important is taking into consideration the potential of programs.  For example Lane Family Connections has really grown as our funding increases.  We can provide more training classes and there is great potential to increase FTE for the college.  We also have the potential to increase funding or support to the college through our funding sources.  The program is still growing and with continued and increased support, like assistance in grant writing, could benefit the college financially. I think that this potential should be included in the criteria for continued support.

I could provide service and program growth statistics for the years we have operated in Lane County and other information as needed.  I think keeping the dialogue open and including programs in the decision making process can positively  effect the outcome.   Thanks for your continued persistence in offering comments. Let me know if you have additional questions about my comments.

11. I have concerns about the loss of jobs, friends, and co-workers but I know BAG has those same concerns and will do all in its power to be fair and equal while keeping the student in mind. Your job of planning a future budget when the landscape of our country's future is unclear is an overwhelming task .Good luck.

12. ÖÖÖÖ  AS a means for generating some revenue:  We could charge the student each time that we get a bad address notice.

     a. Example:  It costs almost .25 to send a statement
          1. .60 to receive the address change notice
          2. .25 to resend to correct address
          3. ???  to research-print etc.

13. Very clear and direct email. On the same note, I had an opportunity to speak with Margaret Bayless and she was wondering if there was a way to communicate how the information gathered by BAG will be summarized and shared with the campus community. If you could back to all included on this email, I'd appreciate it.

14. Across the board cuts are not the way to go.

• Look for money makers and those who cost money, then cut those programs that do not make money and serve least people.
• Look at new  programs that are new and nice but are not necessary for students to meet educational goals.
• Among cuts should be programs that are not making money for the college (cost per FTE) and can not compete in the workforce market place.

• Cost per FTE - to me that would be same as above--some programs cost more to provide but they are needed.  Is the cost per FTE too high compared to other community college standards?
• Enrollment rate--no opinion
• Employment rate-no opinion
• Impact on students-low on my criteria list
• Duplication of service-high on my criteria list
• Community demands/needs- no opinion
• Is activity self-supportive? Activity would have to define self-supportive--are they getting college benefits not included in their accounting, such as college-supplied space and maintenance & repairs, personnel expense, utilities provided, etc.
• Is there a way to deliver service more efficiently?-high on my criteria list
• In sum, my highest criteria items would be look at duplication and efficiency.

• Under duplication - I think we should look at duplication at the outreach centers and CLC.  Would these students come to main campus if the outreach/CLC were eliminated?  If not, what would the decline in FTE be?  They all need to come to main campus eventually to finish their programs.

Once again, faculty and classified staff are being asked to take about 95% of LCC's budgetary process on trust.  As a matter of principle, I shall steadfastly refuse to give input on 5% of the budget, while remaining essentially in the dark about the overwhelming remainder.  Who, for instance, sits on the Executive Team, and whose interests do they serve?  What assurances do we have that this body is willing to look hard at, and make difficult decisions about, possible cuts in executive services?  What analysis has ever been offered the college at large to show that every position in executive services is so vital to the functioning of the college that no cuts may, or need be contemplated?  I have sorely missed discussion of these questions, over the course of my three years at Lane, and your message implies that I should expect to continue to miss such discussion in the future.  And why, ____ are you having to bear the initial brunt of this message, when you do not even sit on the Executive Team, so far as I know?  Why haven't representatives of the Team contacted college employees themselves, about this crucial issue?

Until the Board and Administration can show, in a clear and reasonable way accessible to most constituents of this public institution, the precise state of college finances, and until the sort of scrutiny accorded to academic programs at Lane is undertaken for executive services as well, I will continue to refuse to accept the sort of pronouncements you make below on faith.  Isn't a key reason for even having a budgetary process associated with the notion that such matters are too important to have to take on faith?

I realize that my tone sounds harsh; but I wonder if you realize just how insulting your seemingly polite request for "input" sounds to faculty and classified staff who love LCC dearly, who have a profound investment in the future of this institution, and are tired of being needlessly and peremptorily excluded from important decison-making processes.

Frankly, your memo partakes of the sort of perniciously "top-down," "just take my word for it" ethos that, in my view, regrettably came to characterize much of the Moskus's administration communication with college employees.  This is not a good way to initiate a fresh start.

Again _______, I apologize if any of this seems to be directed at you.  You appear to have been put into a position of having to speak for both the BAG and the Executive Team.  Perhaps I have misunderstood your position in respect to both groups, but as I understand the position you are now in, it hardly seems fair to you.

• Staff Input

Staff should have knowledge of the current cost per fte and the break even point.  They should also be given the criteria, how the criteria will be rated, and the process.
• Department Initiated Reductions

Departments should then be allowed to do a self evaluation on what they can do to be more efficient or how they can make reductions.  So that all staff can give input, departments should be allowed ample time to review, discuss, and reply (6 weeks plus).  Deadlines should be announced well ahead of time so department meetings can be scheduled.
The purpose of the Staff/Department Initiated Reductions is to make departments more efficient in the long-term.
• Administrative Initiated Reductions

The college can then initiate program reductions based on the department's reply and their ability to be more efficient.
• Criteria Ratings need more objective
• Cost per FTE

This could be skewed because some personnel FTE could be  doubled if contracted employees take paid sick leave and the department has to hire replacements.
• Community Demands/Needs

Additional questions regarding department involvement with the community (committees, boards)
• Additional Criteria

What contribution does the department make to other college departments or services?  (Does it enhance other departments, programs, or student success?)
 
• After all that, forget the whole process and just get down to business.  The bottom line "If your department or function was eliminated, what impact would it have on students, the college, the community? (in 1000 words or less)"  Maybe that question and a look at FTE generated and cost per FTE are really the only things that need to be examined.

20. Look into areas where additional support costs are incurred due to excessive fragmentation of service.

• Hidden costs such as having to setup a hiring committee to hire a part time person every term to fill a job people only hold for one term.  The hiring committees and the paperwork from this sort of process come out of department resources and are not tied back to classes that are offered by program.
• How are these costs looked at by the college - or are they even considered?

I understand that this would only work in certain departments, and that not everyone who requested it could have that request granted.     Departments would have to be able to maintain ample covereage, through staggered schedules, or be comfortable with slightly reduced open hours.

Also, reductions would have to be employee-based rather than position-based.  That is, the department would need assurance that giving up even .05 FTE for one person wouldn't mean that the position would always remain reduced even after that employee no longer worked there.  If such an employee did leave, then the position should revert to it's full 1.0 FTE so that the department could choose again which schedule was most effective at that time.

These kinds of situations probably won't make a huge difference, but every little bit helps.  And those employees who  took the voluntary reduction would have more time to spend doing the other things they need to do, and so would increase their quality of life.

This may also open the way for some job-sharing situations, although I'm not sure how feasible that would be.  Thanks for listening,
 

22. One suggestion I have for additional criteria used in determining budget cuts is potential for growth.  This may be growth in enrollment, FTE, or revenue.  While this might be difficult to accurately project, past growth performance could be used as an indicator.

23. Another suggestion would be to consider "attempts to enroll."  Many programs have courses with full sections plus several attempts to enroll.  This reflects unmet need of a particular course.  Others courses might be full, but with far fewer attempts to enroll.  Of course, these attempts would need to be identified to determine how many actual students attempted to enroll compared to similar students attempting multiple times to enroll.

24. I have a concern about cutting core classes that are constantly full, pay for themselves, and PRODUCE FTE for the college in an across-the-board cut of programs and classes.

It seems to me that we are "cutting off our noses to spite our faces".  It makes sense to cut programs that are continually under enrolled and cost the college.  Maybe these programs just need to be put on the back burner for a few years, and be offered again when we have plenty of funding and no financial worries.  But to keep these kind of programs while cutting core classes, doesn't make much fiscal sense to me.

Social Science, English and Math offer classes that are required in every program.  Without these classes, students cannot graduate or complete their programs.  We figured last year that EVERY extra section we offered brought in enough tuition alone to more than pay for itself.  In fact, there was enough earned in tuition each term that we could have paid for another class.  This does not include the FTE those classes earned ... in some cases, 7 FTE per class (which reimburses LCC $2500 per FTE).

Maybe the reasoning is that if programs are cut, less core classes will need to be offered.  That argument doesn't fly, as some of our classes have over 1600 requests after full during registration.  We are already under-offering classes to our students.

It seems to me that we are still operating in a poverty consciousness and having knee jerk reactions to budget cuts.  What we need is more thinking outside of the box.  Offer MORE classes that bring in funding for the college.  Cut classes that drain funding.   ____has sent you an e-mail with more explicit info on this topic.  I hope that the BAG committee will look at this issue closely.

25. In your role as a BAG member here is my feedback to your team prompted by the comments made in the BAG email Request For Input:  "The Executive Team will also look at revenue enhancements, but increased revenue will not balance the budget".

If you take the premise that cuts will balance the budget, without looking carefully at revenue enhancement, you would miss substantial extra funds; not to mention the potential of the "downward spiral" affect that cuts will have on FTE generation.

For example, if we offer an extra section of Mth 70, 95, or 111, and it fills, not only does the tuition pay for the instructor and their OPE (and then some, depending on their salary placement; from $300-$700 extra per class in tuition dollars returning to LCC general fund) but the FTE generated is reimbursed by the State by up to $2500/FTE.  The FTE ranges on these courses, depending on enrollment, is from 4 to 7 FTE per course, generating additional (non-encumbered) revenue of $10,000 to $17,500 per course.

By offering  extra sections that are in high demand by our students (there were over 1600 requests past full for Mth 95 courses this Fall term), we actually address several of the potential criteria listed in the Input email: Total cost of program; Cost per FTE; Enrollment rate; Impact on students; Community demands/needs; Is activity self-supportive?; and Is there a way to deliver service more efficiently?  We also can more fully  utilize classroom space with careful planning.

Clearly then, these sections are more than self supporting, they are college supporting and community supporting.  Students need these courses to be successful in other courses and programs and ultimately the skills and knowledge they gain here will enable them to be successful in whatever endeavors they undertake when they graduate.

Obviously, we need a classroom and an instructor, and there is some additional support staff and physical plant costs, but the revenue gains are substantial and they certainly should be part of any comprehensive budget strategy.

27. I say slash managerial costs - cut to the bone.

28. I support _______ís comments 100% and think the point should also be made that it is essential for math students that they get their math course(s) WHEN they need it in their program of study.  The math provides the essential tools that the student needs to learn other subjects.

29. I would like to see tax dollars go to meeting fundamental necessities not being offered or covered by any other area on campus or off. Any service or program that is already being made available through local, state or federal services is repetitive and a luxury.

Also, I am alarmed and most tax payers would be at the money that is spent on traveling expenses and workshop/training by individuals and groups in departments outside of faculty and teaching. Look at the various areas of the Student Activities department alone.

Also when looking at specific enrollment numbers of programs and classes, which I do not have privy to, take into consideration where else can the student gain this instruction? How important is it that Lane offer as many Continuing Education classes? What is the impact on a community if we close a Community Learning Center?

We must cut away the repetitive and non or little valued expenses that are laid out annually on services already offered to the student through a variety of other resources, travel expenses, the large volume of Continuing Education classes, classes that do not support themselves due to low enrollment and Community Learning Centers that do not financially support themselves through enrollment. Thank you for allowing me to participate.

30. There is no criteria that deals with diversity.  Diversity appears in many college documents and I think it needs to be taken into serious consideration.

31. I am not sure what the existing criteria are for determining budget needs are but I have a few thoughts.

• Is community need considered?   As a part of the Early Childhood Education program we train teachers to be skilled childcare providers.  This is something that is needed in all areas of the US.  Quality childcare is difficult to find and is needed by many.  By offering this we enrich our community and offer a needed service.
• Is duplication of a resource in the community considered?  The college has some programs/trainings that are only offered locally at Lane.  I would hate to see such programs go by the way.  I think it is wonderful that our  local young people can get an education near their homes in stead of leaving the area or going out of state. I hope my comments make sense and I appreciate the opportunity to have input.

• Make certain that the Executive team undergoes budget cut considerations and deliberations  as all others are expected to do. The Ets, in their recent and past history have NOT undergone any budget cuts. They need to set the example for living leaner. A starting place would be to eliminate the Executive Assistant to the President, and institutional advancement office and more. These tasks could be taken care of by committees.
• If the Oregon Business Development Center Net is paying their salaries out of the college budget that needs to be reevaluated. Since that is a statewide 'help' office then the budget needs to be spread statewide.
• Use more team management. Instead of one manager for each entity (department) use teams or groups of people to manage.
• KLCC. If they are dipping into the college budget make them totally self-support.
• Make credit departments a percentage of self-support. Like 25% to 50% to start with.
• Look at eliminating the CLCs' in at least two locations that are not pulling their weight. Both McKenzie and Oakridge should be among those looked at closely. I know they are trying their best and perhaps in the next 15 or so years they will be viable but not now. Put them on hold until such time as they could be profitable.
• Make the Foundation totally self-support.
• Create an alumni association. Start with those AA degree programs that can be tracked easily and build up from there. There's money in those grads.
• Eliminate travel for ETs. Or at minimum cut it in half along with their M&S funds.
• Have ALL meetings on/at LCC facilities instead of having them at expensive locations such as DAC and so many more. That would include all meeting and those for the Board as well. Think of serving small snacks instead of meals.
• Charge some percentage of PERS payments to staff like half.
• Recycle. Make it mandatory across all campus entities. But only do it if it 1. saves money and/or  2. if it doesn't cost money.
• Charge for campus parking. Make it enough to pay for security and lot maintenance.
• EVALUATE all meetings to see if they are necessary and productive. Most meeting agendas and information could be disseminated through e-mail. And most meetings seem to be a forum for personal orations. Look closely at the proliferation of staff for Affirmative Action, Diversity, equal opportunity etc. Look at California model where, I believe, they have been eliminated.
• Put a halt to implementation of the management classification/salary study. Some of the proposed salaries, if implemented could bankrupt the budget. And the argument that 'we paid so much for the study' simply doesn't wash when the entire college is in a downward spiral.  And the other part of that study penalizes many staff and has caused much grief.
• Re-unite to Continuation Education Department those split off departments from Continuation Education in the recent past. These would include Business Development Center, Business and Industry Services, Training and Development. Could save mega dollars in management salaries by this move. It would make CE bigger than it is now but that should not be a problem.
• Re-negotiate health insurance:
a. Look at having one carrier to save money
b. Have a smorgasbord selection of options of coverage. Cover ONLY what each staff member needs*quit the blanket one size fits all coverages we now have. For instance not all staff need or want pregnancy coverage, etc. Even could look at self-insured coverage.

Does the service encompass all staff.  The services offered should benefit all staff and\or students.  When they talk about enrollment levels, I always worry about a program getting cut that has low enrollment now, but the industry is one that will continue to grow in jobs.
 

34. It's very reasonable for you to ask what I want.  I have attended Board meetings where elements of the budget were being presented and discussed, and have tried very hard to listen with utmost attention and respect to budget presentations.  Time after time, I have left such meetings shaking my head in utter consternation and bafflement, at what *seems* like the needlessly murky, and perhaps even obfuscatory nature of much of those discussions.  I have also heard Board members express consternation and bafflement, so I don't think it's the case that the problem is mine alone.

True, I'm not a budget officer, and don't pretend to have much expertise in this area (in fact, I'm struggling to educate myself simply to do a good job as the new Treasurer for LCCEA).  But even, or especially given my somewhere-around-average intelligence, and modest knowledge of budgetary processes, it seems to me that in some ways I represent the general public in this regard.  I wish that I had the ability to understand complex budgetary documents, but still feel that I--just like the public in general--should be able to access documents that offer a clear, if perhaps simplified, and readily accessible account of LCC's budget.

One of the courses I teach at Lane is __________, so I have some inkling of just how hard it can be to "translate" complex technical information for non-technical readers.  I have also heard administrators at Lane sigh and say things to the effect that "it's just too complicated to explain to people who don't know budgets."  I imagine that offering such explanations is an often daunting task.  Still, I feel rather strongly that the public--just like non-technical staff at LCC--has a right to view a version of the budget that one doesn't have to have a degree in accounting to understand.  And I feel that the college has a responsibility to provide budgetary information accordingly.

It seems to me that it would also strengthen the Board and Administration's positions to make budgetary information available in a relatively accessible format.  For if the Board and Administration *had* documents that could be shared with the general public, documents that clearly show why the college might have to resort to making drastic cuts, for instance, there would be no ground for legitimate protest against such moves.

By the way, if you think that the sort of documents I'm asking for exist, I'd appreciate your directing me toward them.

A note on BAG: If BAG only has the Administration's budgetary figures to work with, then of course it should be expected that BAG will come to the same conclusions as budget officers in the Administration.  Perhaps you could clarify whether BAG performs any investigative functions, concerning the budget, and thus may be regarded as a genuinely independent, and thus genuinely useful, body.  If BAG can merely echo Administration positions on the budget, due to constrictions in its ability and power to perform an investigative function, then I worry that the faculty and classified representatives who sit on BAG will be necessarily co-opted into articulating Administration positions on these matters.

And I do not say this out of some deep mistrust in the Administration, but because I think it's a practical matter.  When faculty and classified staff are asked to deliberate about possible budget cuts, it's always in the presence of Administration representatives, is it not?  But to my knowledge, BAG members are not invited to executive sessions scrutinizing the budget.  As I understand it, the BAG is more or less fed the *conclusions* about the budget that Lane administrators have arrived at, and thus are not part of actual budgetary deliberations.  Or am I wrong about this?  Perhaps it seems unreasonable to ask to have faculty and classified staff present at sessions where cuts in college operations and executive services are contemplated, but I think it would go a long way in restoring a climate of trust and mutual respect if something along these lines could be worked out.

I'm glad that one effect of my perhaps unfortunate email intervention(s) has been the opening of some dialogue about these matters.  I appreciate the fact that you took the time to contribute to that dialogue.

35. As a response to your request that we give input on budget priorities, I can think of one priority that I would like to see met:  that we make it possible to retain quality faculty.  I mention this because in our discipline _______ we lost faculty this past year because of a combination of factors that boil down to too heavy a workload for not enough pay and no prospect of better conditions on the horizon.  I believe that we have to do better as a college to make teaching here an attractive professional opportunity.

 If it is possible to subsume this broad a concept under a heading, it might be "faculty retention."  I don't believe this can be accomplished by saying "We care about you" or by feeding us pizza, but by providing more reasonable responses to serious bargaining issues.  Faculty step increases, cost of living increases, reassessment of inequitable workloads, professional development funds, and insurance pick-ups translate into retention of quality faculty.   I know the college feels it is generous, but the college needs to be more realistic about what generous means.

As an example, one professional development opportunity with an allowance of $1700 every three years will probably mean no more than one conference in three years, considering the real cost of airfare, lodging, and registration fees.  It is difficult to feel a vital part of one's discipline nationally with this level of support.  Add to this the fact that one's pay will not increase with experience at Lane and that in fact we will make less year after year because of insurance increases, and there is little reason to remain in a quickly downward-spiralling occupational setting.  I hope this is the sort of input the BAG may find helpful.
 

36. I can only address the Nursing Program:  The employment rate for nurses right now is at 110% due to the severe nation-wide nursing shortage.  Both McKenzie-Willamette and Sacred Heart are hiring virtually every nurse we graduate.  The two facilities funded two additional nursing instructor positions in order to allow me to admit an additional 16 students into the Program, in order to allow them an even larger hiring pool.

There is no duplication of service (nursing education) , as Lane has the only "show" in town.  My biggest concern is that Lane may simply become a transfer degree facility if all of the technical/vocational programs are cut and I don't believe that would serve the community well, nor do I believe it's within the mission of the college.

37.   Input:

• To what extent does a program support existing or emerging high priority community needs?  For example, there is a significant shortage of nurses locally, statewide, and nationally.  Perhaps we should be expanding this program.
• To what extent does a program or service lead to family wage jobs?  Is it worth college resources to prepare students for jobs or careers that are low paying?
• Does a programís enrollment rely significantly on out-of-district, out-of-state students?  If so, why are we offering it?
• To what extent does a program or service support the role and partnership of the community college in economic development in the community?
• To what extent is a program or service over-enrolled given the availability of jobs or careers in that given field?
• To what extent does a program or service support an emerging career field with prospects for family wage jobs?
• To what extent are students able to find work locally for the field they have prepared for?  If they have to move out of state or out of the area to find a job, such a program may obviously have a benefit for the individual, but is funding this an appropriate priority for this community or Oregon?
• To what extent does a program or service support a balanced approach to having a comprehensive community college?

• Truly establishing a real quantitative value for an FTE so the college can make rational decisions about FTEís worth and cost.
• Demonstrate prospects for quantifiable growth over the next year, the next two years, or whatever time period is important.
• Need for recognition of services to students that are not directly reflected in classroom enrollments (FTE)

• Partnerships and collaborations with agencies that help keep the service level affordable.
• Location for the accessible delivery of the service, i.e. outreach.

Within my own area I see only a handful of possible cuts.  Cuts in  staffing would cause serious repercussions throughout the entire college.  We have cut and sacrificed for the past several years and there is no more to give up. The cuts I have in mind are more in material, supplies and foo foo things.  I used to work in ______ and it made me cringe to see all of the foo foo spending that goes on around here.  Catered inservices, doughnuts for the morning meeting, travel and the huge costs associated with travel (my favorites are South Africa, golf, $5 morning mochas, and gold shovels).  I'm sorry, but to me that feels like the CEO of a business standing on the street corner begging for money because he can't afford his porsche payment.   All of these add up to thousands of dollars, maybe even millions.

I also believe that in reviewing our lenient credit policies, we could reduce our bad debt write-off by millions.  If we were a business for profit, we would have been bankrupt years ago.

In general, overall criteria for cuts:

• Does this service support itself financially?
• Is this service essential for the majority of our community, not the minority?
• Is the department providing services that are too costly to provide?
• Is this a service that can be provided elsewhere at a lower cost?
• Is this service being duplicated elsewhere in the community?
• Are the outreach centers self-supporting?  How many students are they reaching?
• Is this a service that can be outsourced?
• Thats about all I have.

Student Services (FA, Records, Student Accounts, Sponsored Students, Student's First!, Operations) do not generate FTE, but we serve a very large percentage of our student population.  To cut any part of our budget would hurt the services we provide.  Students are already waiting for services (whether literally or figuratively), and cutting personnel would only lengthen these lines.

When the largest component of our department budget is personnel, I can think of no place to make cuts.

42. Please look at the programs with microscopic eyes.  There is more to us than money.
We have developed complex programs in health occupations which provide graduates an opportunity for a lifetime of significant work.  WE have complex outcomes assessments, clinical patient treatment programs, and full employment for graduates with employers who heavily support the college with tax dollars and personal support.  We have put many students back to work in the workforce after layoffs.  We have combined courses from different professional preparation programs to cut program and division expenditures.

Our educational programs are unduplicated locally or limited in number in the state of Oregon and the nation.  Selective admission programs provide quality health care graduates with higher FTE costs but with a higher immediate benefit to the graduate.

Please ask faculty to propose new and different ways to offer educational programs, then discuss them and determine how the ideas can be implemented.  Health occupation students may need to pay a differential in tuition to support the continuation of programs.  Sort of tough love for the student, but a lifetime of employment is truly worth the cost.

These are my ideas, and they could be worked into your criteria.  It is extremely hard to put criteria in a list for the entire college when professional technical appears to have a different mission in many ways than the college transfer areas.

43. It is difficult to recommend criteria when one is uninformed on the total budget picture.  An open, understandable budget document is essential in order to offer meaningful critera.  The lack of such a readily available document also serves to render the role of BAG to be minimally advisory at best, lacking substance and credibility.  Thank you for the invitation.  However, I regret that I cannot view the invitation as a genuine effort to shape budget cut criteria at this time.

44. Programs should be looked at as to the job they are doing in student retention.  Programs that offer assistance or classes in student retention should be maintained.  TRIO has federal funding $ and assists through tutoring with retention.  Disability Services offers accommodations that assist in retention.  Programs need to document dollars to service provided the amount of retention that is occurring.  Encourage some programs to tap philanthropic sources for assistance.  Cut programs that serve only a small student population.

45. Make sure program meets state and federal requirements

• Program/service directly supports instructional activities
• Program/service provide supports to other college departments and staff
• Maintains the public's investment in the college's physical infrastructure (i.e., plant and equipment)
• Program keeps up with changing technology
• Shared access of resources to students, faculty, staff, management and the community]
• Implements and maintains security of the college
• Facilitates the ease of access to the web, online curriculum, e-mail.  Self-service of student records and information and online registration.
• Supports communication needs of the college
• Accessible to the internet
• All employees must go to direct deposit of paychecks--will save $$$

• Total cost of program
• Community Trends
• Review of successful and unsuccessful programs at other community colleges
• Review of budget decisions on cuts at other community colleges
• Antiquated programs--been around since the inception of LCC and are no longer needed
• Is instructional program offered elsewhere in the community at a lesser cost to the students?
• Is program a luxury i.e. one that was added in times of growth, but now is not really a necessary service
• Enrollment
• Total FTE generated
• Does program lead to living wage jobs?
• Is program directly transferable to universities?
• Does service directly serve students?  Staff?
• Is program/service/operation/position efficient?
• Is or can program be subsidized by outside sources?
• We need to re-examine the night program--cut what hasn't worked
• Is program moving toward future, i.e. technology, trends, or is it considered to be meeting needs of the past?
• High FTE--low cost     EXPAND THESE PROGRAMS!!!!!

• Other criteria such as 1) employment rates, 2) community demand and needs, 3) duplication of  services or even 4)  services or programs being more efficiently delivered appear based on a presumption of program content value.  Additional criteria may comfortably fit these categories or may be based on yet other presuppositions.
• I believe the program content value/presuppositional approach has the merit of translating criteria into values in their least common denominators which in turn allows easier comparison with pre-established College core values.
• (I) would argue that of most significance are those criteria that assess the relevance of programs/services against customer/consumer needs (value approach), the students and businesses that benefit from our services.  At a most basic level this begs the question;  If a program/service is eliminated will it remove from Lane county the opportunity to obtain that kind of training for post high school people?  If, in fact, it does then by extension it can be said that at the same time support for employers of those people/students is also withdrawn.  If we ignore such an important point we run the risk of doing considerable violence to our mission.  Any criteria grounded in the presumption of program content value as being pre-eminently important would direct the budgetary decision process to other areas.
• Specifically I would suggest that the committee consider the following criteria in light of the foregoing:
1.  Duplication of services:
Assess not only whether duplication exists within LCC but also does LCC offer what is available from other city/county education providers.

2.  Employment rate:
Historically have those receiving an LCC education been able to:
    a.  Obtain employment, or
    b.  Successfully matriculate at and graduate from four year colleges or universities.

3.  Community needs:
Is there a community constituency supporting/needing that the program/service provides?

4.  Efficient delivery of services
Can intra-program efficiencies be achieved to a level that might minimize damage to programs?

48. Enrollment rate

Decrease in community enrollment would be tragic loss, most of the older and community members enroll in person.  They tend to use the blue flyer when calling, not the large schedule.  Just as I type this, we get a message that they may do away with the local flyers.

• Services, such as purchasing books, making payments, placement test, telecourse viewing and testing, on-line testing, placement testing, and computer lab for the community and independent study students, would be displacement for students.
• Being able to handle high school releases for the underage students would also be a loss.
• College Now classes would also have to gone to Main Campus Bookstore for the books.
• Not being able to offer assistance with the V-Tel classes, and ITFS when this system comes available.

• Being able to offer credit classes in the evening to people in the existing neighborhood.  Convenience is being able to get off work and be just around the corner for class not having to drive across town.
• Easy parking for classes is an important asset for students. Parking at the main campus is like parking at the mall, except the mall still has available space.  When budgets get cut, if this happens fewer classes will be able to be offered due to room constraints.
• A way of making to deliver service more effectively
• We are a service not a FTE generator.  We tend to offer almost all the services the StudentFirst Center offers.  We run a skeleton crew at the center.  I have a two-hour a day person for breaks/lunch and a building Administrator four nights weekly.

Our rent is only $1 yearly for the next 30 years.
There is no cost on the use of the high school classrooms, unless we use their computer labs.  This cost is included in the cost of the class.
We have extremely low budget for material and supplies.
Fees collected with Instructional Computing support the computer lab, most upgrades are done with grant funds or capital outlay.

• Reports of class enrollments and FTE are available on request.

How much regional or state competition is there for a limited student pool?

51. Forgive me for resorting to somewhat general analogies to describe how I think and feel about the request for criteria.  It's somewhat like being asked to choose between door A and door B, without being told that doors C, D, and E also exist.  Without having an understandable and open budget, and the priorities that drive that budget, I am being asked to make a response limited to what I have access to.  An example:  At the Unfair Labor Practice hearing, there was a statement by a witness for the Administration that, "prior to last year, money was not transferred out of faculty reserves to be used for other purposes.  But that did take place last year."  Or words to that effect.

Clearly, there is a priority on budgeting that was not made apparent in the negotiations last spring.  Without knowing that priority, its merits, or its impact on budget, I am reduced to mouthing criteria such as, "don't take money out of faculty reserves to fund other projects."  I see little value in such an exercise.
 

52. Night and weekend courses utilize idle facilities and are frequently taught by inexpensive part-time instructors.  Therefore, they ought not to be compared to day classes on the basis of FTE alone, but on an accurate cost/return basis.   These courses serve a distinct group of students who are frequently unable or unwilling to attend day classes.

Instruction is Lane's core product.  In general, budget reductions which reduce FTE or discontinue instructional programs will have the greatest immediate and downstream negative impacts on revenue, and the most immediate and noticeable negative impact on students, Lane's core customers.  If discontinued temporarily, instructional programs will generally take longer to re-develop than instructional support, student service, infrastructure maintenance, or administrative functions.

I think programs and services should be considered for reductions in this order:

• Instructional programs which simply do not justify their cost to the community (programs that we now believe should not have been established, or which would not make sense to establish currently, regardless of the college's financial position).  These programs and their support services should be discontinued permanently.
• College Operations (maintanence, landscaping, security, etc.)  Temporary reductions may be advisable during a period of financial difficulty.  Defered maintanance is the downside, but these functions will be relatively easy to re-develop as needed.
• Administrative services.  Administration is vital, but it contributes only indirectly to revenue and customer service.  Lane's administration should be as streamlined as possible.
• Instructional support services.  Many excellent service programs (P&G, ITC, SLI, etc.) which help make Lane's instruction better, might nevertheless be temporarily or permanently reduced without an immediate or devastating impact on students.
• Student services.  These are very important to students, but not as important as instructional programs.

All other instructional programs.

53.    Cost per FTE

How much does each student generate? What is the cost benefit of retaining a student. Multiply said benefit between a range of 50 ñ 200. (Assuming 300 students a year are contacted minimum)

Employment rate

Impact on Students

The principal effect of directly serving 300 or more students and retaining those students benefits the college in a predictable way.
Which is harder...teaching them English or keeping them Sober?

When Mary made her speech at the Building 1 Open House, and made reference in quoting a student "You saved my life", for approximately 10 students in any given year that is literally true, and easily 10 students have said that to me personally in as many years.  Not all of them are as dramatic as the drug detox / overdose / suicidal in Student Health scenarios I call "Crisis Calls" (Usually a couple per term) Most of the time it is simply support, while they are in a specialized program such as the Chemical Dependency Counselor Training Program. Other times it is support to particular populations of students who may or may not be served by other student support services. Where would a 24 year old white male HIV+ displaced timber worker / ex?sex industry worker, with a history of injectable drug use and binge drinking get the support needed to complete his transfer degree?

As a secondary effort, I teach and the content of both classes are also prevention activities whether it be Ethnic Studies, or Understanding Addictive Behavior. The Ethnic studies class consistently has enrollment in the high 20ís ñ low 30ís. ________calculated that a class pays for itself at 14 students. I would definitely consider those activities revenue enhancing as well as FTE generating. In addition they also support the collegeís diversity mission. While a dollar cost / benefit ratio has not been applied to the diversity mission, there is enhancement of college climate to consider.

Duplication of service

Sounds like a great idea! I can think of several more departments where the service should be duplicated outside of the one's I wrote a grant for......
Oh you mean is the service duplicated elsewhere? No.

Community demands / needs

Ask CentroLatinoAmericano, Prevention and Recovery Northwest, Pathways, The Lane County Prevention Coalition, the Heroin Task Force, the Gang Task Force, and the City of Eugene, to name a few what would have happened if the program hadn't been available to do community outreach and consultation.

The college needs to maintain some degree of presence and leadership in the Health Promotion field.

The college also needs to be aware of certain trends in the community and respond to them. Heroin & Methamphetamine epidemics being only one type of trend.

The college needs to maintain itself as a resource to the community it serves.

Is Activity self supportive?

Does the program pay for itself in the FTE generated by retained students? Yes, easily. How many is a question for a study done by Research and Planning.
A better question would be could the activity be even more revenue generating? Yes it could. How? Fee for service Publishing, training and consultation for corporate and governmental clients. Expand the services of Student Health to be a treatment training facility for the Chemical Dependency Training Program. Currently no detox facility exists for people the age of many of our students. As an example, this could be a grant funded activity. There are community colleges in adjacent states which perform the same activity.

 Is there a way to deliver service more efficiently?

If efficiently means doing the same service with less money. No.
The college tried that already.

If efficiently means doing the same job better.
Yes.
A full time classified position, would be a start.
Otherwise....require, support, and sustain discrete Substance Abuse Prevention Competency in several departments. (Athletics, Workforce Partnership, Health Care Occupations, Multicultural, Women's, Disability Services, Counseling, Student Health for starters)

Propose additional criteria.....

Impact on Institution

How does the Program improve the College Climate?

Would you buy a car without a heater, defroster, or air conditioning?
The Program's focus requires cultural proficiency. This has an effect on
1. Retaining students and preserving the college's major source of revenue
2. Assisting to maintain a climate which assists in the college's diversity goals.

• Lane Community College is first and foremost a community college, so the concept of meeting community needs should be paramount.  Funding should go to programs that meet the changing needs of Lane County residents.
• Enrollment rates and trends:  who is being served and who can't get services?  How many students are currently being served? What are the class sizes? How many students are on waiting lists? etc.
• FTE generated by a program should be reflected in the general fund allocations. (Monies should be distributed to those departments that actually generate the FTE.)
• Duplication of services:  Are there courses/programs/departments at LCC that are offered elsewhere in Lane County? (i.e. the public school system, U of O, city or community programs such as Maud Kerns, city club sports teams, etc.)
• Funds should go to programs that further advance the college's stated core values and mission statement- diversity, caring environment, innovation, accessibility etc.
• Care should be taken to fund all campuses throughout Lane County equitably (looking beyond the 30th Avenue site).
• Unmet needs should be funded equitably for all LCC departments. (Furnishings, computer hardware and software, and other resources)

I am a little worried about evaluating the value of some of programs and/or classes.  For instance, the total cost of program is important to know but there are a lot of programs here at Lane that are expensive to run while at the same time produce graduates and serve the communities needs.  I know I am preaching to the choir but I hope this will be considered while looking at costs of programs.

Cost per FTE is great if you can figure it for particular programs.  However, my program often appears to have low enrollment and low FTE because it shares course work with another program.  My ______classes are shared with the _____ program.  If you look at my FTE, it appears very low while the ____ FTE looks very healthy.  We have tried for several years to separate out students by using a variety of methods and as yet have not been very successful in differentiating between the two programs.  At this point, we are now manually tallying students and the computer folks are manually entering the information to provide a truer reflection for FTE.

Enrollment rate is a great indicator.  However, if I could get funding for the second year of my program, I could increase enrollment in my program.

Impact on students has been critical in both the ___ and ____ programs.  Because of the budget reductions, we had to drop sections of our core courses.  Since we had only two sections to begin with, the reductions have basically cost our programs half of our possible student enrollment.  Our students (as probably all students on campus) have had to take a second look at our programs because they can't get the classes they need to finish their certificates in a timely manner.

Duplication of service is critical.  I see duplication of service within our department and would very much like to see like classes combined.  For instance, several programs in ____________offer some sort of class that helps our students prepare resumes, portfolios, and interviews.  If we could combine our students for those classes, perhaps we would have funds that we could shift to core classes.

I am also concerned about criteria for being awarded restoration of extra section funds.  It seems to be based primarily on whether or not the extra section is offered in the evening.  Evening classes are great if you have the infrastructure in place to support evening sections.  Students in my program are often single mothers with children at home.  Taking an evening class is difficult because they don't have child care readily available to them.  My one-year certificate in ___ was designed for daytime classes. To now make a shift to nighttime has meant that I don't have the same enrollment numbers.  For instance, a second section of _______ is typically offered MWF from 1-2 p.m.  Now, I have been asked to move the section to the evening.  Polling students currently in the sections we have, (approximately 70 students) shows me that I can get about 19 people to take the night class.  Yes, that will allow the class to run.  But, since the maximum seating for the day class is 35, I am not going to have as many people in the two sections that I could have if both sections were offered in the daytime.  Luckily, I have been given permission to run the class in the day so we can accommodate all these students, but my other courses have not been restored because they were not nighttime offerings.

Again, thank you for asking for my input.  I wish you luck in your decision making process.

56.  You have a big job ahead of you.  Being a faculty member in a Professional Technical program, I always get concerned when I hear criteria of Cost per FTE listed.  I realize that it is an important criteria when facing budget cuts, but other factors must be considered too.  Our Professional Technical program, which includes many computer application classes, always costs more due to class size being limited (24) because of computers and always having to update software/hardware because of business/industry demands.

Remembering that we are a Community College and not a Junior College, I hope that your team will carefully consider the different demands and importance of the Professional Technical programs.

There is definitely duplication--some necessary I believe.  Before any decisions are made, I surely hope that all stakeholders are involved in the discussion.  The reason this concerns me so much is I've had several people tell me that they have been in meetings recently where suggestions were being made and recorded about what should be done about computer class duplication.  It upsets me that I've never been asked to be involved in this discussion nor anyone else to my knowledge from my Department.

There's a lot to digest in your memo.  Unfortunately, you didn't give us much time to respond.  I was at ____Conference last Friday and didn't receive your memo until Monday.  Being a full-time teacher and coordinator of the ____, I need a weekend to do stuff like this (that is, after I teach my class on Saturday).  I'm too busy right now to put any more thought into this, but I did want to respond to your e-mail with some information before your deadline.  I will think about my own program(s) and how they should be evaluated.

57. Because we have finite resources, there are hard decisions to be made about where to   spend them. In the short run, LCCís Executive Team will have to make some decisions about next yearís budget to meet the mandated time lines. Hopefully, those decisions will move us toward the long-term goals of the college.

58. Your request for budget cutting criteria is asking the employees of Lane to make decisions in a vacuum.  Without the information about where cost savings could be accomplished, how the budget fits into the strategic goals of the college, and how we can best meet those goals by streamlining the budget and cutting waste, it is impossible to set budget cutting criteria. This request makes each department make budget cutting recommendations, not in the best interests of the college, but in the best interests of preserving their departments. It would be foolhardy to hold the college to criteria established under these circumstances.

Our suggestion on budget cutting is to first start with a SWOT strategic analysis of the college. Define our Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.  Put these in the perspective of the mission of the college and our strategic plan. Then evaluate where we are wasting resources and how to save costs and still achieve our educational goals. This may mean that programs or departments are eliminated, but that decision would be reached based on meeting the strategic goals of the college.

Move the college toward a five year rolling budget.  This is a way to gain a long term perspective on the financial goals and needs of the college. Then, one year budgeting becomes a subset of the five year plan.

Remember that budgeting is only a financial plan. It is a way to direct resources based on the goals of the college. It can be modified, and should be, if the goals of the college change or unexpected needs arise.  It is also a yardstick by which we can measure the success of the use of our resources against our needs.

59. Change the 50% senior discount to 10%.

60. One criterion I would like to see on the list is whether or not the program directly affects the teaching mission of the college. That is, whether it impacts teaching as opposed to administration programs. In a budget crisis student learning must come first.

61.  Services to all students
Recruitment/retention efforts--placement testing, admissions, registration, assistance

Responsiveness to communities (not just Eugene) in service district
Access to services/classes

Cost/FTE---some low enrolled also have low cost

62.  BACKGROUND
1. "Lane Community College is committed to valuing, promoting and supporting diversity, including diversity relating to age, gender, race, ethnicity, cultural origin, national origin, source and level of income, familial status, sexual orientation, religion, or disability."
2. "Lane will continue to fund and institutionalize the Diversity Plan."
     "Lane will continue to implement its Affirmative Action Plan."
     "Lane will develop/implement a plan to recruit/retain diverse students/staff."
     "Lane will increase cross-cultural competence and bilingual capacity."--Goal 2 A-D.
3.  "Lane students and staff honor diversity, collaborate to enhance learning, foster creativity and innovation, and respect each other..."
4. "Lane is responsive to the learning needs of diverse communities."

CRITERIA
1. Evaluate how programs', divisions', departments', and offices' depth and breadth of services and operations reflect the college's core values and goals described in the following documents and initiatives: Strategic Plan, Strategic Learning  and Vanguard College Initiatives, Diversity Plan, and Affirmative Action Plan.
2. Recurring funding recommendations and add back list(s) development should be based in part on how units meet or exceed the expectations enumerated in # 1 above.
3. Cost/benefit analysis of program discontinuation.
4. Program discontinuation's impact on the college's diversity initiatives and AA/EO policies.
5. Program's degree of innovation and best practices.
6. Program's impacts on our diverse communities as promised in the Strategic Plan.
7. Lastly, in a 180 degree turnaround from the previous 6 items, a work-order system could be developed that would allow all of us to either document the work we are accomplishing on our students' behalf and/or back charge departments for services/consultations rendered.

63.  In response to your request for budget cutting criteria, the LCCEA Executive Board would like to offer a different way to create meaningful participation by the Lane employees who will be profoundly affected by your processing of our input.

Your request is based on the stated assumption that Lane will make substantial budget cuts this year and some programs and services will likely be discontinued.  These predictions must be based on financial and budget data that many of us, who have been asked to help select budget cutting criteria recommendations, have not seen.

We know we are all working under tight time lines.  But we are educators who teach our students to not construct criteria when working in an information vacuum.  Please share the financial and budget information that you have with the Lane community by putting it on the WEB and then extend your deadline into next week to give us time to consider the information. The available information presently on the WEB is inadequate for us to use in constructing meaningful budget cutting criteria.

We also request BAG's support, with the Faculty Union Executive Board, in immediately establishing an Open, Transparent Budget Process Task Force that recognizes all employee groups including the unions as full partners. The work of such a task force would be three fold: To have input in the present budgeting process; to ensure that the new chart of accounts will guarantee useful, fully accessible data for future budget processes and financial reporting; and to design a new budget process that would be open and accessible to employees and the public. Without such a task force, the full college community will find it difficult to have meaningful participation in working toward the strategic goals of our college. We would like to be a part of the budget process, particularly when we are being asked to cut programs and services that dramatically affect us, our colleagues and our students.  While it is the administration's responsibility to ensure an adequate budget process, all employees experience the results of the budget decisions, therefore no party should dominate the process.

We have been researching how other colleges and public organizations involve their employees in the strategic planning and budgeting processes and would like to present that information in the transparent budget process.  Mary Spilde has clearly stated that BAG would not be the group to work on formulating the open, transparent budget process, but would be gathering information that can be used for this process. BAG's charter and Mary's agreement with the Board and other groups have been to have this transparent budget process worked on by others. It is highly problematic for union leadership in a collective bargaining environment to see the only public Budget process appear to be conducted solely by BAG.  BAG, as we understand it, is making recommendations that are jointly arrived at by employee group representatives in the group: a group whose structure and function was established by management and purposefully excluded union representation. Yet, BAG will be making recommendations to the Board that are clearly expected to affect peoples' income and employment.

With these considerations in mind, we call on BAG to publicly join with the faculty union leadership to support the immediate establishment of a representative task force to construct an open, transparent budget process. Having such a group in place will ensure that we are not working in a vacuum, that we have adequate information to make these hard decisions, and that we are  participating in a process that is not rushed or severely constrained. Decisions that will be made now will have significant consequences for staff morale and for the very future of Lane.