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November, 2003 Volume 14, Issue 3 - Playing Dice with the Future of SMC |
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By Choosing to Cut Classes, College May Lose $2.2 Million
By Lantz Simpson
Einstein claimed that “God does not play dice with the universe.” However, the administration at SMC has been playing dice with the future of the college, taking a huge gamble that could result in the college going into a death spiral of contraction, unable to stop. In fact, it may have already begun.
Previously the FAB reported that the college is hiding $3 million in its current budget. In addition, according to the Chancellor’s office, the college is to receive an additional $1.6 million in funding this year.
The administration strongly denied our assertions and claimed the budget outlook was actually worse. A closer examination of this year’s budget reveals that administration decisions to cut classes and kill programs may cause the college to lose $2.2 million from the state this year. By cutting classes the college will lose $1.5 in growth money and $700,000 in basic skills money.
This is not sound policy, this is lunacy.
When all of this is pointed out to the administration, they offer only smug grins. We are told not to worry, that regrowth will be easy.
Well, what if the college does not regrow next year to the same level of FTES as last year? The death spiral will continue, funding will be cut, more classes and programs will be cut, more faculty and staff laid off, and no way out. There will be no way out, because once contraction begins, the college will not receive enough funds from the state to be able regrow-- that is, unless funds are being hidden now for future regrowth.
If funds for future regrowth are being hidden now, that means that the college had funds all along not to kill programs and cut classes now.
I repeat: this is not sound policy, this is lunacy.
How much longer will the trustees go along with this? The college rolled the dice once and it came up snake eyes. What will the next roll of the dice be?
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