Frequently Asked Questions State Budget Impacts College of the Canyons (Updated 7/27/09)

How has the state budget situation affected College of the Canyons?

The California legislature has passed budget bills addressing the significant state budget shortfall and the governor has signed that legislation.  Now, we anticipate that we will receive guidance and implementing instructions and learn how the specific language of these measures will affect College of the Canyons.

When the 2008 – 2009 fiscal year budget was approved in February, 2009, a budget for 2009 – 2010 was approved at the same time.  As you know, budgets outline what you expect to spend based on how much money you have in the bank. The state gets “money in the bank” as a result of property taxes, income taxes and other sources of revenue.  In each of these years, the reality is that actual money in the bank fell well short of what we thought we would have.  That is the simple explanation of the problem that the governor and legislature were facing.  The problem for the past two fiscal years is the enormity of the gap between projected revenues and actual revenues – roughly $26 billion.  There was no easy way to cut the State’s budget and, with the huge numbers involved, every program funded by the State became subject to significant cuts.

Education was not immune to cuts. It is important to understand that significant cuts to College of the Canyons began to occur in the last fiscal year (2008 – 2009) totaling more than $4 million in apportionment funding shortfalls.  In addition, College of the Canyons served more than 1,100 full-time-equivalent students for which it received no state reimbursement during the year.  When you figure that the college should have received $4,565 for each of those students, this represents an additional shortfall of more than $5 million.

The cuts for 2008 – 2009 became a new baseline for our annual funding, so the reduced budget numbers became the starting point for 2009- 2010. The budget for 2009 – 2010, while approved in February, was unrealistic since revenues again fell well short of the amount of money the state thought it would have.  Thus, the cuts we anticipate to come our way with the new budget legislation will undoubtedly have an impact on how well and how much we can serve our students.

The impact of these cuts to date is that the college can’t serve students for which is doesn’t receive state reimbursement.

We will be forced to turn away students this year.

This translates to a reduction in the numbers of class sections that we will be able to offer in each of our semesters.

For instance, we reduced the number of class sections we offered this summer by about 20 percent. 

Fall 2009 semester class sections have been reduced by about 12 percent. 

Reductions for Winter and Spring semesters will be determined based on the circumstances and funding levels that exist when the time to plan those semesters arrives.

As class sections are reduced, there is a resultant impact on the faculty that would have been assigned to teach them.  Since many classes are taught by adjunct (part-time) faculty at College of the Canyons, there will be a very real human impact as there are not funds to hire these instructors to teach. 

Funding for many categorical programs (programs targeted at specific populations such as disabled persons and at risk populations; programs targeted to improve basic skills; matriculation programs and the like) is projected to be cut dramatically – the specifics of which are still being worked out.

Once we know the specifics of the budget legislation and how College of the Canyons will be impacted, we will determine what actions we will need to take to deal with our local revenue issues.  Some items under discussion are ways to consolidate operations and the hours that we need to be open to provide services, deferral of those functions that can be put off for a year or more, elimination of unnecessary functions and processes, early retirement incentives, and reductions within specific operational areas of the college.

How will students be affected?

Students will need to be much more focused when they register for classes and select classes that meet as many of their needs as possible from the beginning of the registrations process.

It is unlikely that a student who registers for a class then drops it thinking that he or she can pick up the same class at a different time will be successful since the class may, indeed, not be offered at another time. 

Additionally, the class that was dropped will likely be immediately filled by another student.

We have proactively communicated with students and the community about the need to register for classes early, not to assume they can make changes to their classes with the ease that they have in the past, and have impressed upon students that classes will fill early.  As a result, the first few days of Fall 2009 registration have resulted in computer server slowdowns as students have heeded our advice and the lines in A&R are steady for all of the hours they are open.

Students should have their current email, telephone numbers and postal addresses on file with the Admissions and Records office so they can be advised of any changes that may affect them.

If a continuing student elects not to register during the proscribed appointment time, opting to register instead during “open” registration, he or she may find that the classes they need are not available at all.

The new budget legislation raises student enrollment fees from $20 per unit to $26 per unit.  (The legislature makes enrollment fee decisions, NOT the colleges!)  Students who register for a class in the fall, thinking that they will be paying $20 per unit, will be responsible for the higher fees – retroactively. (This has occurred in the past!)

Will the numbers of sections offered be reduced just in the summer and fall session or will reductions occur throughout the year?

These decisions will be made once we know what our actual budget is for 2009 – 2010. 

In past years there were plenty of classes with anywhere from 15 to 20 students in them.  Now we hear that classes with that number of students will be cancelled.  Why is that?

It all relates to how colleges are funded.  Simply put, when a class is offered, the state generally assumes that each instructor will teach a class of 30 students:

If the class is full (with 30 students) the college is reimbursed by the state for each of those students and the funding is maximized.

If, however, an instructor is hired to teach a class that should have 30 students but only 15 show up, the college looses money. 

In good economic times when funding is “healthy,” most colleges can afford to “absorb” some of those losses.   

However, in times like we are experiencing now, that is not a viable option. 

In the latter scenario, if we were to allow two classes of 15 students to continue, the 30 empty seats would be the equivalent of whole additional class that we could offer.  So, often we will make the decision to offer classes that are historically well enrolled versus offering those that historically are in demand by smaller numbers of students. 

Exceptions, however, will always be considered – especially when a low-enrolled class may be needed to meet degree requirements for students.

It is important for students to understand that the changes community colleges are making in response to the budget situation will likely require them to look at registration for classes and their college lives in a “new way.” 

In the past few years, when the economy was a lot healthier, colleges like COC could often offer multiple class sections on different days, at a variety of times, with a variety of instructors. 

Students were often able to work their college classes in around their otherwise busy lives. 

It is very likely that with fewer class offerings in the coming years, students may have to take a class when they can get it and balance their work lives, social lives and other concerns around it.

Why is the college still advertising in newspapers, magazines and on the radio if you have more students already than you are getting reimbursed by the state for?

Like any other business, College of the Canyons offers a variety of products. In order for consumers (students, businesses, community members, etc.) to be aware of and acquire those products, they have to know they are available – the essence of advertising.  We are aware that new people come into our valley who don’t know who we are or what our products are, so we need to keep our name and what we offer in all forms of media.  At the same time, when we modify our products or create new ones that our “consumers” may want to avail themselves of, advertising helps us to make that information available. 

If you are cancelling classes for students, why are you still building on your campuses?

Building funds and operational funds come from different sources.  Building funds come largely from bonds passed both locally and statewide, that statutorily MUST be used for building.  Legal restrictions, such as those included in Proposition 39 under which COC’s Measures M & C were passed, specifically say that the money can’t be used for salaries or other operating expenses.  Despite the current economic downturn, long range planning dictates that we build facilities that will meet the needs of the future.  It is important to point out that just prior to the current economic downturn we didn’t have enough classroom and lab spaces during high-demand times.  With demand anticipated to only increase in the future, it is imperative that we continue to expand to meet those needs.  It is also important to point out that every time you see a building under construction, it means that people have been put to work; that building products are being purchased; heavy equipment is being rented; and workers are spending money in local shops and restaurants.  That is precisely what is needed to help turn our economy around.

Why are there so many high school-aged students in COC classes?

Many high school students choose to jump-start their college careers by taking college classes while they are still in high school as “special admit” students and they do that at COC.

The William S. Hart Union High School District operates an Early College High School and a Middle College High School (Academy of the Canyons) on the College of the Canyons Valencia Campus.  The design of these schools requires the students to take varying numbers of college classes during a normal school day.

This summer, some of the local high schools have cancelled their summer sessions so many students are turning to COC to meet their high school subject requirements in an accelerated manner.

Many high school students choose to take their physical education requirements at COC for a variety of personal and strategic reasons and we have seen an increase in the numbers of high school students in college Physical Education classes.

Why are there so many people from outside the Santa Clarita Valley in COC classes? 

California community colleges operate under the law that as long as you are a California resident, you can attend any community college that has the programs you need at times you need them, that provides the convenience to fit your personal needs, and that is your own personal choice. So long as that is the law of the state, there will be students who reside outside of the Santa Clarita Valley who will decide to attend College of the Canyons.

I tried to register for my class during my scheduled priority time only to find that I was put on a waiting list.  That has never happened before.  What is going on?

This is a natural consequence that occurs when the demand for access to education exceeds the seats available. Economic changes have forced more and more people to turn to their community colleges for the classes and training they need and can afford.  Four-year college fees are rising at exponential rates and some students are turning away from them in favor of attending community college.  At the same time, reductions to College of the Canyons sections put increasing pressure on existing classes.  Once a class fills, we create “wait lists” in the event someone drops a class and a seat becomes available.  The practical reality is that the lower you are on a wait list the less likely it is you’ll ultimately get into that class. These trends are going to continue.

If College of the Canyons is experiencing a budget problem, why don’t you just raise the tuition fees, parking fees and all of the other fees?

College of the Canyons has no latitude to change enrollment fees since that is a power that only the legislature has. Some of the budget balancing proposals that we have heard the legislature is considering include tuition fee increases for Fall 2009.  Tuition fees will increase from $20 per unit to $26 per unit for the fall 2009 semester and the college will be billing students who have already registered for the $6 per unit difference. The funds generated from enrollment fees go to the state’s general fund; they do not stay with the college.  Once in the general fund, they could be used to pay for any other state-funded program.  The same is true of the other mandated fees that community college students pay.  The daily parking fee at College of the Canyons was increased from $1 to $2 starting August 3, 2009 – the increase is intended to fund a program that will encourage greater participation by COC students in using mass transit to and from both Valencia and Canyon Country campuses.

Why are community colleges being so severely affected by the state budget situation and not other state organizations?

While there is some room for argument here, it is reasonable to conclude that all state-funded organizations will be impacted heavily – if not now, then soon.

Will there be layoffs of full-time faculty and staff at College of the Canyons

The Board of Trustees and the administration are not considering layoffs at this time.

Will any of the intercollegiate sports teams be discontinued in order to save money?

At this time, we will support intercollegiate sports as long as they are cost effective.  We will work with athletics, just as we do with all other areas of the college to implement cost containment procedures and make the most of the funds we have.