Mt. Hood helped and hurt by proposed state budget

By Rachel Kramer

Mt. Hood Community College received good news Monday when Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s recommended increased education funding in his budget for the 2007-2009 biennium.

According to MHCC President Robert Silverman, there was good news about overall community college funding, as well as financial aid. Projected shortfalls may be offset by proposed increases in state school support.

According to Gary Murph, MHCC chief operating officer, the governor exceeded his promise of a 10 percent increase in funding for education, instead recommending an increase of 12.6 percent. State revenue is also up 12 to 13 percent, according to Murph.

“[The governor] is really only giving us our fair share of the overall funds from the state,” Murph said. “He has not really dug into our needs with this proposal. It is good, but it doesn’t move us ahead. It allows us to operating at a continuing level or at a slightly challenged level.”

For the last five to six years, the college has been under-funded, according to Murph. As a result, the college during that time has been “trying to work itself out of the hole,” said Murph. The additional funding the governor’s proposal would provide would help relieve some pressure, but the college would still be facing some challenges.

According to Murph, the college will be considering increased faculty hires, but no other new staff hires. The college will still have to look at controlling the budget to reduce expenditures. Operating budgets will be tightened.

At the December board meeting, Wednesday, fee changes will be discussed. According to Murph, many fees may actually lowered and a tuition increase is not on the radar screen.

One budget tool still on the table, according to Murph, is the loss of days for faculty. In the past, the school has decreased the number of paid work days to cut budget costs.

Mt. Hood has also been battling low enrollment for some time, which has not helped its budget woes. According to Murph, there will be some focus on programs geared at increasing enrollment over the next fiscal year.

The governor’s recommended budget also provides good news for financial aid recipients. According to Murph, need-based financial aid will be directed to more part-time students than in the past.

“The last biennium, when they proposed financial aid, need-based financial aid, it was focused more on full time students,” Murph said. “Now, it will be directed to pick up more part-time students, which represent students that do go to community colleges more so than four-year schools.”

There was a sour note in the governor’s proposal, when school officials were informed that Mt. Hood had been eliminated from the capital list. MHCC administrators were hoping to build a facility for educational collaboration between high schools, MHCC and universities.

According to Silverman, they were informed that they had been taken off the list because there were doubts that the college could make the match required for state funding. They were also told the state’s bonding capacity has been exceeded.

Both Silverman and Murph expressed disappointment about being removed, each saying they were not happy about it.

With the governor’s proposal now known, the next step, according to Silverman, is to go to the legislature.

“It is a good start,” Silverman said. “But it is not enough... we need the Legislature to move it further up.”

According to Silverman, board members, students and he will share their case with legislators.