Budget survey, context setting, and meeting reminder

Dear Colleague,

Thank you to those who have already filled out the Budget Proposal Survey with their recommendations for the 2020-21 budget. You still have until May 31 to provide your input for reducing expenses, creating efficiencies in our operations, and/or enhancing revenue. I urge you to consider sharing your ideas, whether big or small, as this monumental work will take all of us working together to achieve. 

As we continue to develop our 2020-21 budget, I want to acknowledge that we are entering a particularly difficult time at the College. Any time we are talking about reducing positions, it’s a painful process that affects the morale of all employees. It’s particularly disheartening to know that we were on track to bring our 2020-21 budget into balance with the budget reduction work we already completed this year, and now we must anticipate a significant budget reduction due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on state revenue.   

It may be helpful to understand how the College’s current financial outlook is consistent with statewide, national, and international economic trends and challenges. The Seattle Times recently published two articles about the pandemic’s effect on K-12 and higher education: State Colleges & Universities Are Girding for a Tough Financial Future After the Coronavirus Pandemic and Washington’s Constitution Protects K-12 Funding the Coronavirus Will Test that Promise. Inside Higher Education also published a recent article on A Bleak Picture for International Enrollment. These articles reiterate the inherent difficulty of organizations to maintain financial solvency in the face of COVID-19. 

As a reminder, our next Campus Budget Update Meeting will be this Thursday, May 28 (1:30-2:30 p.m.). I hope you will join us on Zoom for this meeting to learn about the next steps in our budget development process. Thank you for the work you do each and every day, and for your fortitude in continuing to ensure students reach their educational goals.  

Wishing you continued health, 

Cheryl Roberts, Ed.D. 

President