Dear Colleagues, 

As outlined in the first 2025–2026 Budget Planning Memo, we are implementing a series of cost-reduction strategies this year to ensure we remain within our allocated budget. These proactive measures are intended to help us avoid reductions in force (RIFs) for permanent employees. All measures listed below are effective immediately and until further notice. 

We encourage you to review the full memo for further details, including how the College will prioritize resources this year. Budget managers should be aware that funds saved from the methods listed below will not be available for the unit to spend in other ways. 

A future communication will come from the Budget Office to help those budget managers who may need additional assistance in managing/tracking these reductions (below). 

Please note that the following does NOT apply to S&A Fees or contract-funded programs.   

COLLEGE TRAVEL FREEZE POLICY 

In alignment with institutional efforts to reduce expenditures, the College is implementing a campus-wide travel freeze, with some exceptions which are explained below. To ensure compliance with the travel freeze, all travel must be pre-approved by the appropriate Executive Team member and their approval document (email, etc) uploaded along with other travel documentation, e.g. agenda, lodging estimates, etc., in the ctcLink Travel Authorization form. 

This restriction is effective immediately and will remain in place until further notice, mirroring similar measures enacted by Washington State agencies, which have been directed to freeze most non-essential travel as part of a broader initiative to address the multi-billion-dollar WA State budget shortfall. 

Virtual Alternatives – Required  

When available, Zoom or other virtual meeting platforms must be used in place of in-person travel. This includes conferences and professional development. 

Travel for Essential Business  

Travel for essential business will only be authorized when a virtual option is not available and attendance at the off-campus activity is for:  

·         Accreditation-related activities 

·         Compliance or regulatory obligations 

·         Critical institutional meetings, partnership engagement or grant requirements 

·         As required for Institutional Board memberships related to critical operational needs 

Travel for Professional Development 

Our focus for professional development will shift to local opportunities.  

·         Units are encouraged to identify or create new local training and development events. 

·         Hosting guest speakers or trainers on campus is encouraged as a cost-effective alternative to professional development that requires air travel and hotels. 

NOTE: Travel for professional development funded out of the Classified Staff Professional Development Committee, or from the Professional Growth funds available to faculty as outlined by their CBA remain available for employee use. 

Travel Locally  

·         Local travel by personal or College vehicle is permitted, provided it does not require overnight accommodation. 

·         Mileage reimbursement will remain available in effect for approved local travel. 

REDUCTION TO OVERTIME 

As a regular practice, all supervisors should review staff schedules to ensure adequate coverage across College business hours and that unit or position needs are met without the use of overtime. Moving forward, ET members will be reviewing overtime costs within their unit on a quarterly basis. One-time instances of overtime may be considered for authorization by the area ET member when the following conditions are met:  

·         The specific date/hours of overtime requested are approved in advance of the time worked. 

·         The overtime was required to meet time-sensitive or legal compliance requirements.  

NOTE: Overtime worked by staff supported evening or weekend rentals funded by the renter may continue as needed. 

REDUCTION TO OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS 

All current outside consultant contracts require the President’s approval to continue. Unit administrators should coordinate any requests to continue through their ET members for Presidential review.  

The use of new external consultants is strongly discouraged and will be considered for short-term approval on an exception-only basis. Requests for the use of an outside consultant may be considered for authorization under the following circumstances:  

·         The skillset or work to be provided by the consultant is needed for a time-sensitive or legal requirement.  

·         The skillset or work to be provided by the consultant is not available within current employees. 

REDUCTION TO TEMPORARY ADDITIONAL DUTIES 

Temporary additional or higher-level duties for administrative/exempt and classified staff beyond the scope of the employee’s primary position are paused until further notice unless authorized for time-sensitive or legal/contractual requirements. Request to maintain or assign additional duties may be considered for authorization by the area ET member under the following circumstances:  

·         Authorization for temporary additional duties is obtained in advance of the work being completed.  

·         The work is needed to fulfill a time-sensitive requirement which directly supports student success. 

·         The assignment is essential to the college and reduces overall expenditures. 

Non-CBA Faculty Assignments 

Faculty assignments outside of positions/roles specifically identified by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) should be minimized or discontinued unless they are essential for accreditation or legal compliance.  

·         All faculty assignments outside of positions/roles specifically identified in the CBA must be approved in advance of any work completed by the Vice President of Academic Affairs or the Vice President of Student Affairs, as appropriate. 

This includes stipends, special projects, and overloads outside of contractual obligations. 

Please speak with the appropriate dean if you are concerned about any particular assignment.  

ONGOING OVERSIGHT 

The President, with Executive Team, will be reviewing all spending in these areas quarterly to ensure adherence to these reductions for identification of further adjustments as needed.   

We deeply appreciate your cooperation and leadership in implementing these measures. These steps are essential to maintaining our commitment to students and preserving as many permanent positions as possible during this challenging fiscal period. 

If you have questions or need clarification, please contact your supervisor or the appropriate representative of the Executive Team.  

Thank you for your continued dedication to our College community. 

Best, 

Jack

Dear Colleagues,

This will be the first of two memos pertaining to our budget for 2025-2026. 

First, I just want to thank you for your patience with all of the budget changes and uncertainty in this planning cycle. This has been a turbulent budget development year.  From the OFM overpayment to community colleges, to the $16 billion state budget deficit, grant cancellations from the federal government, and the most recent legislative decisions affecting High Demand/Nursing and Guided Pathways provisos —there were many considerations and barriers to overcome in developing a budget for our Board of Trustees to consider for approval.

As you may recall, as Governor Jay Inslee left office, he emphasized resolving the Washington state budget with revenue from a wealth tax.  This solution was met with resistance from our new Governor Bob Ferguson who asked legislators to find a more balanced way to resolve our current concerns.  The House and Senate both proposed budgets that would reduce funding in the Community College System ($1.1M and $1.8M at SCC ongoing). The Conference Committee reached a budget compromise to present to our new Governor, which included a projected $700K reduction for Shoreline as part of system-wide cuts to all state and community and technical colleges.

The approved budget was like the Conference Committee Compromise (in fact slightly better for us with an approximately $600K reduction).  We received our specific allocation from the SBCTC on June 8th which allowed us to make the final decisions for our Board of Trustees meeting on June 25th.

Shoreline Budget Methodology
Our goal this year was to bring a balanced budget to our Board of Trustees that prioritizes operational needs, supports the Strategic Plan, and helps us prepare for an uncertain future.  The preparation for uncertainty includes the need to continue to invest in areas that will move us forward, prepare for unforeseen changes, and be more efficient overall as an institution.

Our planning model (see pgs. 51-53 in our Mid-Cycle accreditation report) at Shoreline provides budget managers with the opportunity to meet with staff and faculty to prioritize and recommend innovation grant requests, budget adjustments, and staffing needs.  These recommendations are reviewed by Executive Team members, who conduct institutional prioritization and submit their recommendation to me for final review and approval. 

We have aligned planning with resource allocation, as required by accreditation standards.  This is an aspect of our participatory governance process based on the guiding principles set forth by the Strategic Planning Budget Council (SPBC) (recently renamed to the Budget, Facilities, Safety & Technology Council) in support of the Strategic plan.

This memo provides updates for the following as part of our budget development for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026).

• Innovation Grant Funding
• Position Prioritization List (for new positions).

Areas of Prioritization & Investment

Innovation Grant Funding

The following items are funded through General Funds and were prioritized as described above.  The total approved amount is $103,960.  For those awarded grants, funds will be available once the budget is uploaded prior to the start of Fall Quarter.

Innovation Grants Funded by General Fund
Item	Amount	Strategic Plan Goal
Library/SLC Remodel- Direct Support and Access to Tutoring in a Shared and Visible Location	$40,000	B: Student Support Services
Simple Syllabus- Response Directly to Guided Pathways and Requests from Faculty on Consistent Syllabus Language	$13,431	A: Student Success & Academic Excellence
Preparing Faculty to Use High Fidelity Simulation to Meet Nursing Learning Objectives	$10,140	A: Student Success & Academic Excellence
Criminal Justice Certificate Pathways	$12,389	A: Student Success & Academic Excellence
Comprehensive Program Reviews of Two Transfer Instructional Areas with Outside Consultant	$10,000	A: Student Success & Academic Excellence
Washington Consortium of Community Colleges Study Abroad (WCCCSA):  Berlin, Germany, 2026	$18,000	E: Community Connections, Partnerships, and Collaboration
Total	$103,960

Supported by the Foundation

The Shoreline Community College Foundation (SCCF) staff review additional Innovation Grant requests to determine eligibility for Foundation funding. Priority is given to projects that align with already-held donor-restricted funds, ensuring contributions are used as intended. Additionally, SCCF considers projects that may not meet all of the specific criteria for an Innovation Grant but still advance the Foundation’s mission to increase student access and success. This approach allows the Foundation to support a wide range of initiatives that enhance educational opportunities and community engagement.

This year, the SCCF was able to fund the following items for a total of $18,900. For those awarded grants, funds will be available once the budget is uploaded prior to the start of Fall Quarter.

Innovation Grants Funded by the Foundation
Item	Amount	Strategic Plan Goal
Nursing: Enhancing Equity and Excellence through Simulation Professional Development	$7,800	A: Student Success & Academic Excellence
Library/ Ebbtide: Digitizing 53 years of Ebbtides, builds on past projects previously supported by the Association of Student Government (ASG)	$5,100	E: Community Connections, Partnerships, and Collaboration
Library/ Gender Equity Center: Drag Queen Storytime in the Ray Howard Library	$1,500	E: Community Connections, Partnerships, and Collaboration
Library: Open Educational Resources (OER) Petting Zoo	$2,500	E: Community Connections, Partnerships, and Collaboration
Library/ SAS: Tabletop Disabilities	$2,000	E: Community Connections, Partnerships, and Collaboration
Total	$18,900

Through the planning (Program Review) and budget development process, areas requested $7.6million for ongoing needs.  These requests were prioritized by area Deans/Directors including feedback from staff and faculty and then Vice Presidents/ area leads to identify top requests.  Our Budget Office determined that we could utilize approximately$650K to fund ongoing budget requests for either positions or items needed to move the College forward.  All of this year’s top-ranked requests were for positions, which are listed below.  The positions support our Equity-Based Strategic Plan, and/or overall infrastructure needs. 

The College will conduct a financial assessment at the end of the first quarter (and in all following quarters) to evaluate our fiscal position. Should the results indicate a strong financial standing, we will begin recruiting for these new positions in the prioritized order outlined below, to the extent that our budget allows:

Ongoing Needs- Pending Quarterly Budget Review
Position Request	Supports Strategic Plan Goal
Funding for Spanish Speakers to support Latin-X students	A: Student Success & Academic Excellence
Nursing Assistant Certified Director	A: Student Success & Academic Excellence
Fiscal Analyst 3- Foundation Accountant	C: Organizational Development, Systems, and Processes
Student Retention Specialist (DEI)	A: Student Success & Academic Excellence
Executive Assistant- HR & C&M	Organizational Development
Part-time Faculty Counseling	B: Student Support Services
Nights/Weekends Campus Security Sergeant	C: Organizational Development, Systems, and Processes
Communication Consultant 3 (Social Media)	E: Community Connections, Partnerships, and Collaboration

To present this plan to the BOT, we implemented strategic reductions across several budget categories, including travel, overtime, contracted services, non-instructional contracts outside of our collective bargaining agreement (CBA), and administrative extra duty assignments. These adjustments are designed to enhance the efficiency of our resource allocation while prioritizing the stability of our permanent workforce. Stay tuned for more details in an upcoming second budget memo.

Although we have engaged in extensive planning, the future remains uncertain. Ongoing and frequent changes at the federal and state level may impact both our operations and enrollment. Despite these challenges, our commitment remains steadfast; we will continue to prioritize the needs of our students and our community in every decision we make. 

Thank you again for your continued dedication, flexibility, and focus on our students and community. Your commitment makes this important work possible, even in uncertain times.

Sincerely,

Jack Kahn