Article published May 28, 2009
Owens budgets for decline in state aid
By MEGHAN GILBERT
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Owens Community College is planning a conservative approach to its upcoming budget because leaders expect less money from the state than in the current year.
Under the Ohio budget proposal in the Ohio Senate, community colleges would get a 4.7 percent increase in state support over the current year.
Still, the fiscal year 2010 budget Owens will present to its Board of Trustees next week assumes it will receive a 3 percent decrease from the state.
That 7.7 percent buffer will help the college handle any changes in the state’s budget situation, said John Satkowski, Owens’ executive vice president and chief financial officer. “It’s just to keep us comfortable as we get through the year,” he said.
The college took a similar approach last year when it counted on getting an 8 percent increase from the state instead of the nearly 10 percent approved in the budget. “I’m going even higher because of the tanking of state revenue,” Mr. Satkowski said.
The college’s $89 million budget keeps tuition and fees flat for a third consecutive year, following the state’s request to public institutions.
The budget assumes a 2 percent increase in full-time-equivalent students at both the Perrysburg Township and Findlay campuses, which would mean an increase in head count of about 5 or 6 percent, Mr. Satkowski said.
The college believes that also is a conservative estimate, as enrollment continues to grow during the difficult economy.
The enrollment increase led to the college to spend $2 million in the current fiscal year for adjunct faculty and full-time faculty to teach extra course sections for those added students.
The 2009 budget was proposed to finish $1 million in the black, but because of the additional teaching costs as well as higher-than-expected utility costs in the winter, Owens finished positive with $400,000.
The 2010 budget increases by 13.3 percent the pool for salaries for instructors for increased enrollment and ends with a projected $1.3 million balance.
Owens has never finished a fiscal year in the red, said Mr. Satkowski as he knocked on wood.
Owens President Christa Adams noted that the college has maintained its fiscal conservativeness while filling all faculty positions in areas of greatest need.
“In these difficulty times … we have had no layoffs,” she said. “We are the only folks around who can say that. We have done it and saved people’s jobs. No layoffs.”
To help save money, Owens instituted a four-day workweek for the slower summer months. Employees still work 40 hours a week, but do so Monday through Thursday so campus can shut down Friday, for an extra day for the weekend.
That is expected to save at least $150,000 in utility costs.
The budgets were discussed yesterday during a meeting of the Owens board of trustees’ finance committee.
The full board is expected to approve the budget when it meets Tuesday at the college’s Findlay campus.
Contact Meghan Gilbert at:mgilbert@theblade.comor 419-724-6134.
Permanent Link
|
|
 |
|
Search
advertisement
