District reveals budget cuts plan :Students face fewer sections, larger classes
by Connie Yu, Reporter

   A $3.4 million budget cut for the Tarrant County College District means no distance learning classes in May and summer II and a hiring freeze for all but essential positions, according to a budget reduction plan released late last week.

   Other cuts include less funding for professional development for faculty and staff as well as for travel and operational costs.

   In addition, fewer class sections will be available this summer; some class sizes will be larger next semester, and some equipment purchases will be halted. The college's participation in local events as well as the mass-mailing service that sends new class schedules to the community will also suffer.

   "That's the kind of things [the college community] has to look forward to," Dr. William Lace, executive assistant to TCC chancellor, said. "I hate to do it, but there's no choice."

   Like other public colleges and universities across Texas, TCC officials have struggled to comply with Gov. Rick Perry's request to return 7 percent of the state funding for this fiscal year.

   The college's plan is already in effect, and $3.4 million will be due back to the state. However, some officials say there is still hope to recoup some, if not all, of the college's loss.

   State funding that the government wants back now was part of the appropriation bill passed by lawmakers during the last session. In order to legalize the refund, state legislators will have to amend the bill. The amendment is expected to be drafted and voted on in the coming weeks.

   Before then, Lace said, the chancellor will work with the Tarrant County delegation to lobby lawmakers in Austin for a less expensive refund.

   "We think there might be a chance to avoid at least some of these cuts," Lace said.

   Others, however, are not as optimistic.

   "It would be great, if that happens," Larry Darlage, NE Campus president, said. "But with the [state] budget deficit this large, I will be pleasantly surprised if they are able to decrease the 7 percent cut."

   Numerous calls were made to Gov. Perry's office for comment, but no response had been received as of Tuesday afternoon.

   The plan's most visible effect on students is the cancellation of distance learning classes. Classes over the Internet or on television require more technical support than traditional classes and are more expensive to maintain. With the budget cut in place, students who wish to take Internet classes this May and summer II will have to go to one of the college's four campuses instead, Lace said.

   Although most classes will be available for the summer, students will have fewer sections to choose from for their summer schedule. About 30 sections in summer II will be trimmed, requiring larger class sizes. Students can expect to see 10 to 15 more people in some classes, Lace said.

   About $1.2 million, one third of the total budget reduction, comes out of the hiring freeze. As a result, 38 full-time vacancies, including nurses, police officers, faculty members and clerical positions, will remain vacant, or be replaced by part-time employees. The freeze will also stop any future hiring, except for positions mandated by Texas laws.

   Campus presidents are already feeling the pressure of the hiring freeze. In the Chancellor's Cabinet meeting last week, they learned the list of faculty positions they submitted for hire for next semester may have to be filled by adjunct instructors instead.

   Faculty and staff development programs will also end. The college will stop funding for professional organization memberships for its employees. A program that encourages faculty and staff members to innovate and improve their job performance, which de la Garza implemented last fall, will lose financial support.

   On the administration side, the district will postpone the installation of a new computer system that would have recorded student data, academic records and paper work on CD format-lessening the departmental staff's workloads during a surge of enrollment increase.

   "This is something they really needed," Lace said, "because the piles of paperwork will continue to increase."

   Officials met last week to decide on the final details of the budget cut plan. Even with a foreseeable hard time, Lace said atmosphere at the meeting was surprisingly calm.

   "You might as well laugh," he said, "or you might have to cry."

   Amid all the changes, officials stress that students should not be too concerned, at least not yet.

   "The cuts we are making now may not impact our students, but if these cuts go beyond this year, students may be seeing some differences on campus," Lace said. "Students may come to campus and see that it's a little dirty because some equipment might be broken and cannot be replaced or we can't get enough custodian staff."

   With the 7 percent cut already in place and funding for the next fiscal year uncertain, everything from layoffs to tuition and property tax increases, is on the chopping block, de la Garza said during a previous interview.

   The TCC Board of Trustees can increase property tax again in August from last year's 3-cent increase. It can also increase tuition rate based on the administration's recommendations, but that option will remain as the last resort.

   Dr. Gwen Morrison, secretary of the board, said, traditionally, the board is reluctant to approve any tuition increase, but it is expecting to hear the chancellor's recommendation soon.

   Gov. Perry told NBC Monday night, the night before his State of the State address, that under his proposed state budget plan, education will be spared of a further budget cut for the next fiscal year.

   In the meantime, though, officials said they may be considering canceling some smaller programs, delaying construction plans for a new campus in downtown Fort Worth and deferring operational costs in anticipation of a deeper cut in future funding from the state.