6:00am | Long Beach City College (LBCC) is proposing significant staffing reductions in response to years of declining budget support from the state and increasing operating costs.
“Long Beach City College is facing devastating budget cuts that have been imposed on community colleges in California,” said LBCC President Eloy Ortiz Oakley. “Unfortunately, we have no choice but to focus virtually all of this year’s budget cuts on permanent reductions to the number of positions and the length of many staff assignments at LBCC.”
$5.1 million dollars in staffing reductions will be forwarded to the Board of Trustees for consideration at their meeting on March 24. Proposed classified staff reductions include the elimination of 43 positions and reducing the assignment of an additional 96 positions. Management staff will also be reduced by 12 positions.
These reductions are being driven by declining support from the state. LBCC has been forced to absorb $7.2 million in revenue reductions over the last three years – a 7.4% reduction in itsoverall allocation from the state. LBCC is contending with an additional $3.5 million in unanticipated mid-year cuts this fiscal year because property taxes and student fee revenues under performed.
LBCC is preparing to permanently reduce expenditures by a minimum of $5 million for the 2012 – 2013 fiscal year, while developing a contingency plan for an additional $4.8 million in budget cuts if the Governor’s proposed November tax initiative fails to pass.
LBCC has previously announced that is has discontinuedseveral active employee searches including the Dean of Career Education and Workforce Development and two contract faculty positions. LBCC will continue to prepare for additional difficult budgetary choices over the remainder of the yearthrough its College Planning Committee and leadership team.
“I am painfully aware of the human ramifications of the recommendations that are being forced upon us by declining support from the state,” said Oakley, “but LBCC will continue to serve our local community to the best of our abilities andprovide an excellent and affordable college education to as many students as possible.”