Community colleges also hit with budget cuts

2-year colleges facing 5.6 percent in cuts next year

From the massive, sprawling 4-year universities of Illinois to the modest, smaller community colleges, the state’s higher education system is facing a dip in funding for the next fiscal year.

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And regardless of the size and whether the mission is to provide transfer credit or award advanced degrees, administrators on both levels are faced with the prospect of trimming costs without degrading the quality of education.

For fiscal year 2004, Gov. Rod Blagojevich has called for an 8.2 percent decrease in state funding for public universities, a reduction of $112 million. As for community colleges, next year’s reduction is 5.6 percent, a figure that would trim about $17 million from college budgets statewide.

The proposed cut for community colleges is smaller because universities are larger in scope, said Becky Carroll, spokeswoman for the Office of Management and Budget.

“It’s a resource issue,” she said. “Community colleges have much fewer resources.”

Early signs of budget cuts were evident for both types of institutions early in Blagojevich’s administration. Universities were told to put 8 percent of the current year’s budget in reserve in anticipation of cuts.

Junior colleges were asked to set aside 5 percent of their budgets and 8 percent of the operations of the Illinois Community College Board, said Joe Cipfl, ICCB president and chief executive officer.

There was a possibility that amounts from both groups would be cut for this year, but in the end, it became a recision of 2.7 percent for universities. Community colleges, on the other hand, had no cutbacks for this year aside from the 8 percent cut of $197,000 from the board’s operations, Cipfl said.

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“The state is in a difficult problem,” he said. “We’re attempting to be supportive of the governor’s budget and they’re giving us opportunity for feedback.”

But with one-third of community college revenue coming from state funding, layoffs and program changes are possible, Cipfl said.

For John A. Logan College officials, a 5.6 percent cut next year would mean a reduction of about $500,000, Robert Mees, college president, said.

“If we have retirements or resignations, we’re not filling positions,” he said. “We’re trying to do everything possible and not have an impact on students.”

The governor’s plan for reductions also calls for transfers of funds from the community college level to other agencies.

For example, it would move funds from college workforce development grants to the Department of Commerce and Economic Activity. Additionally, community college technology grants would be transferred to the Department of Central Management Services.

Although the funds are no longer directly funneled to colleges, the institutions could still apply for the grants, which are typically used for computer technology, distance learning, assisting students with career changes.

“My understanding is that it will be a competitive application,” said Robert Hilgenbrink, vice president for administrative services at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville.

He said his college is looking at the prospect of a $3 per credit tuition increase to help offset the cuts, bringing the cost up to $52 for each credit hour.

Although cutbacks are possible, it’s important to remember that the General Assembly still needs to approve a budget before changes take place, said Bob Carlock, Rend Lake College’s dean of finance and administration.

“I don’t lay too much on the line until the governor signs the budget,” he said.

Although the planning may be difficult, it is possible to avoid giving employees the pink slip, Carlock said.

“I would say we wouldn’t have to have layoffs,” he said.

Carlock is planning to meet with state officials in Chicago next week to discuss the budget outlook.

Reporter Ben Botkin can be reached at [email protected]