Getting In
Spring 2012 Budget Forum
Budget Info Forum PowerPoint Presentation:
Watch Budget Info Forum Videos:
Frequently Asked Questions
Divisional Discretionary Funds
What accounts exist, including holding accounts?
Really all non-salary and benefit accounts are discretionary. The VPs and their staffs have the discretion to move budgets as necessary to fund divisional priorities.
How are allocations to these accounts determined?
The starting point in the Tentative Budget is usually the prior year level plus any amounts added during the budget preparation process. Reallocations are usually the result of decisions made by the VPs and their respective management teams – for Student Services and Academic Affairs the VP and the deans, for the BAS division the VP and the directors.
Are these accounts included in the discussion of budget reductions?
- Within the divisions, yes. Individual divisional accounts are not specifically looked at by any outside committee or council.
- If a decision is made that each division must reduce its total budget by some dollar amount or by some percentage, then it would be up to the division to determine how to make those reductions.
Are there any guidelines or rules about how these funds may be spent?
- There are guidelines within the budget process description approved by BPC.
- Basically that non-salary and benefit funds may be moved within a division, budget transfers between major object codes (academic pay, classified pay, benefits, supplies & other, equipment & capital) need board approval.
Will faculty and/or classified staff be allowed to participate in making decisions about how these funds will be spent?
- Probably the answer varies from department to department and division to division.
- For example the faculty in a department clearly determine how supply and hourly funds are spent.
How are these accounts used to fund requests made through program review?
- Each division’s VP and his or her deans and/or directors reviewed the program review requests and determined which ones could be funded by redirecting existing divisional funds.
- Each division was able to fund some program review requests from existing internal funds.
Are these funds used to pay for consultants for particular projects, even when the expertise to complete these projects exists in-house, and should we suspend hiring of consultants from these accounts while we are making budget cuts?
- “Consultants” covers a very broad spectrum of services, for example legally required translators so a blanket suspension of consultants would not be feasible.
- Despite budget challenges the institution still must move forward and prepare for the future, and consultants are necessary to do that.
- For example, the superintendent/president has made it very clear that we must continue to protect our basic aid status in Sacramento, prepare academic and facilities master plans, understand our community better and improve our image in our community.
Refiling/Redirecting Open Positions (due to retirement, resignation, etc.) for Classified Positions
Will the Classified Senate Council and/or the Classified Hiring program review group participate in the decisions about which open positions to fill? If not, why not?
In the spirit of collegial consultation, the Superintendent/President will confer with Classified Senate leadership and the appropriate Vice President for the area, but the final decision to proceed or not will be by the Superintendent/President. Considerations such as the 50% law will also be considered.
Will the Classified Senate Council and/or the Classified Hiring program review group participate in the decisions about which open positions to redirect to other departments/divisions? If not, why not?
In the spirit of collegial consultation and to preserve jobs, the Superintendent/President will confer with Classified Senate leadership and the appropriate Vice President for the potentially impacted areas, but the final decision to redirect staff positions will be by the Superintendent/President.
Refiling/Redirecting Open Positions (due to retirement, resignation, etc.) for Faculty Positions (Full-time)
Will the Academic Senate Council and/or the Academic Affairs Committee participate in the decisions about which open positions to fill? If not, why not?
There is an existing process in place that will be honored concerning refilling vacant faculty positions that calls for positions to be recommended to the Superintendent/President for refilling unless there is an objection by Academic Affairs or by the Vice President of that area. The Superintendent/President will make the final decision based upon consultation with the Academic Senate President and the appropriate Vice President. Decisions concerning the filling of growth positions will be made by the Superintendent/President in consultation with the Academic Senate President and the appropriate Vice President. Considerations such as the 50% law, the availability of Associate Professors in the discipline and maintenance of the college’s full-time faculty obligation will also be considered.
Will the Academic Senate Council and/or the Academic Affairs Committee participate in the decisions about which open positions to redirect to other departments/programs? If not, why not?
In the spirit of collegial consultation, the Superintendent/President will confer with Academic Senate leadership and the appropriate Vice President for the potentially impacted areas, but the final decision to redirect faculty FTE will be by the Superintendent/President. Considerations such as program review and the Educational Master Plan will be taken into account.
Budget Development Process
What is the relationship between the funds allocated by BPC in program review funding and the funds used by the divisions to pay for some of the requests made via program review?
- Each division’s VP and his or her deans and/or directors reviewed the program review requests and determined which ones could be funded by redirecting existing divisional funds.
- Each division was able to fund some program review requests from existing internal funds.
In general, what is the role of BPC in developing the budget—does BPC make decisions about cuts, or just rubber-stamp those made by the administration?
- Neither.
- Within the GO structure BPC may not make decisions; BPC may only
- 1. forward formal recommendations up to a council, or
- 2. advise the Vice President of Business and Administrative Services.
Other
How much has the District spent on legal/lawyer fees, and where do these appear in the budget?
- They appear within account 571100 (legal, election and audit) on the Tentative and Final Budgets or within summary account 500000 “Other Operating” on the Five Year Plans.
- FY10 to date: $186,068
- FY09: $113,099
- FY08: $461,076
- FY07: $384,574
How much has the District spent on consultant fees, and where do these appear in the budget?
- Consultants appear within either account 511100 (Personal and Consultant Services) on the Tentative and Final Budgets, or within summary account 500000 “Other Operating” on the Five Year Plans.
- FY10 to date: $219,756
- Consultants include outside individuals providing services to categorical programs including interpreters, nursing consultants, North San Diego Small Business Development Center consultants, art models, performing arts workers, community services consultants, and other individual personal services contracts.
- Other types of contract services be may included with separate categories including architecture, planning, building contractors, and other contracts with firms within account 600000 (Capital Outlay), and within 560000 (Contract Services).
Have the associate faculty had sufficient opportunity to participate in the budget discussions regarding academic and professional matters?
- As per AB1725 “academic and professional matters” are solely the purview of the academic senate and are not subject to collective bargaining.
- Therefore, any associate faculty input would be through their participation within the academic senate.
The real estate market did not just start to decline, it has been declining for several years. Why didn't we reduce expenditures in the current year's budget instead of delaying until the 2010-2011 budget?
There are two basic reasons:
- Based upon an analysis of past property tax revenue trends and projections from the county’s tax collection division we did not foresee the unprecedented further decline that has actually occurred. The fact that it is unprecedented is indicated that for the first time since the passage of Prop. 13 the CPI adjustment on assessed valuations will be negative in 1010-11.
- Last spring when the Tentative Budget was being finalized for presentation to the Board the district was recovering from several years of trauma and interim leaders, a new permanent superintendent/president was just coming on board, the board and the superintendent/president were very anxious to serve as many students as possible especially since so many were being turned away from other institutions, and we did have a large reserve that had been intentionally built-up partially in anticipation of economic down turns. Given those factors the board was not asked to make drastic reductions, but there were actions to begin the process of restraining expense growth. For example, co-pays were increased to lessen the increase of our benefit costs and raises were capped at 1%.
What percentage of total compensation & benefits is benefits?
From the 2009-2010 Final Budget, page 13:
What has the district done to reduce its energy consumption and energy costs?
- Water Conservation – Mitigation of Landscaping Costs and Reduction of Water
- 1. Frugal - irrigate our landscape at the minimum requirements.
- 2. “Water Wise” – state of the art computerized irrigation controllers used to irrigate landscape.
- 3. Two-Phase upgrade of Oceanside Campus central irrigation controller system in progress.
- 4. All landscape focused on drought tolerant planting materials in order to use minimal amount of water.
- 5. All restrooms in new and remodeled facilities using low flow fixtures and electronic features that limit amount of water flushed and dispensed.
- Energy Conservation – Mitigation Measures
- 1. Four major energy conservation projects implemented 2002-2008.
- 2. Savings of over $250,000 during 2002 to Present.
- 3. Calculated energy savings from these projects:
- a) Electricity - 1,652,017 kilowatts
- b) Gas - 36,419 therms
- 4. Projects included: Central Chiller Plant Upgrade, New energy efficient HVAC package units, lighting and ballasts, energy management system installation, electronic motion sensors used in all indoor lighting, variable speed drive motors, installation of new chillers, boilers, heat pumps, Virtual Server system.
- 5. Projects have resulted in reduced energy consumption.
- 6. Use of day lighting has been incorporated into architectural design of new buildings.
- 7. New facilities have been designed to meet and exceed Title 24 building standards.
- 8. New facilities while not LEED certified have many elements in them as part of the design including energy efficient lighting and controls, day lighting, low flow fixtures, drought tolerant landscaping, etc.
- 9. In process of having SDG&E perform a new comprehensive energy efficiency audit of all three sites to determine next series of energy efficiency projects.
- 10. In process of having SDG&E perform a new comprehensive demand response audit to determine where we have capability to shed load during high energy demand in state (MCC will realized incentive dollars by participating in program).
- 11. All exterior lighting is on controllers and timers.
- 12. Tom Macias appointed to CCC/IOU Energy Efficiency Partnership Program.
- 13. Future projects to include new commission based monitoring of buildings (MCBX), OC Hub Server Room AC Upgrade, Expansion of energy management system, installation of vending machine energy misers, PC power management, new energy efficient solar or induction powered exterior parking lot lighting, installation of energy efficient cool roofs, improved scheduling of classrooms and buildings to reduce energy usage, replacement of dated boilers, chillers, and HVAC package unit.
- 14. All future new buildings and major remodels to have LEED design criteria.
I appreciate that there will be FAQ's to help us understand the budgeting process. Great idea. One question I have is: How can those who perform program review track their requests? Since there's so much concern with the new process's routing system, it would be wonderful if there were a public space—portal, web—where we could see our requests working their way through the system. Then we wouldn’t have to keep asking where things are.
We are working on improving program review, and this is one of the questions we are addressing.
