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| For Immediate Release | Contact: Frances Squire |
| June 23 , 2008 | Phone: (559) 934-2134 |
2008-2009 Budget projections from the State a challenge
Projecting budgets for an organization the size of West Hills Community College District is always challenging. The State of California’s deficit of $15.2 billion and with no end in sight as to when a budget will be adopted creates an even greater challenge.
Ken Stoppenbrink, vice chancellor of Business Services, told the WHCCD board of trustees that the district held a tight line on spending this year based on uncertainties in state allocations.
“The state budget crisis and a string of dire pronouncements from the governor’s office have left all agencies trying to guess what their revenue stream will be--especially given that the May revise (a critical announcement for colleges) was presented with an assumption that in the future the voters would approve borrowing from the State Lottery,” Stoppenbrink notes.
With the district fiscal year ending June 30th, figures for the past school year are still being finalized.
“Fortunately for WHCCD, we took a proactive position and cut off expenditures on Feb. 1 and we made a decision to freeze any positions that were unfilled,” Stoppenbrink said.
As a result, the district is forecasting an ending balance of $ 3.2 million, which will be close to nine percent. The State Chancellor’s Office requires five percent to avoid any scrutiny from Sacramento.
Plans for the coming year place the total unrestricted district budget at $34.5 million, which includes the carryover reserve. Restricted grant-funded programs will add about $11 million to that total.
The District is budgeting a reserve of 5.98 percent, or $ 1.8 million.
The district expects to serve over 16,000 students in the 2008-09 fiscal year based on current enrollment trends at West Hills College Coalinga, West Hills College Lemoore and the North District Center, Firebaugh.
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West Hills Community College District serves the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and is part of the California Community College System. Its two colleges, West Hills College Coalinga, which includes North District Center, Firebaugh, and West Hills College Lemoore, serve more than 6,000 students on campus and online each semester.