Leaders at Walla Walla Community College say possible cuts being considered by the college, including reduced operations or closure of the Clarkston campus, are not a reflection of the people who work and study there.
“It’s not because of the students, it’s not because of the faculty,” said Rebecca Thorpe, a public information officer for the college. “It is only because of the financial constraints that we find ourselves in at this moment.”
Financial pressures
The biggest financial constraint in question is an estimated 1.5% cut in state funding, which would affect community and technical colleges across the state this year.
But there are other challenges, too. Thorpe said they include rising inflation, along with a simultaneous state-mandated cap on tuition increases; required cost-of-living salary bumps that the state has not fully funded; the loss of pandemic-era relief funding; and more of the college’s existing state funds coming in the form of restricted provisos, which limits where money can be used.
“Like everybody else, the college is experiencing the effects of rising costs,” Thorpe said. “Just our utility bills, keeping the lights on, keeping it heated or cooled, those costs have been rising.”
According to WWCC, the college has spent 100% of its revenue the past two fiscal years, plus another $700,000 in reserves.
Overall, the college predicts the need to cut around $4 million, Thorpe said, but that figure could increase or decrease, depending on future legislation and WWCC’s ability to increase enrollment and other revenue streams. She said the college will need to cut $1.8 million in the first year.
Thorpe said it’s understandable the public would be concerned.
Some Clarkston campus employees and community members told the board earlier this week they felt the college’s financials were being misrepresented, and that they wanted to see a third-party review.
Others said the college didn’t adequately account for possible revenue that might be generated by the Clarkston campus.
“I don't think anybody is opposed for someone to come in and look at the books,” Thorpe said. “We've been incredibly transparent. If it doesn't make sense to them, they are more than welcome to ask questions.”
How state funding works
Part of the public’s confusion, Thorpe said, is around why the college would consider cutting the Clarkston campus when enrollment for programs, such as nursing, has increased.
The problem, Thorpe said, is in the way state funding is dispersed. A limited pool of state money is allocated to colleges based on something called full-time equivalents, or FTEs, which counts class credits — not the number of people who attend.
In other words, a college could have a high headcount but low FTEs if some students take fewer credits. Fewer FTEs result in a smaller slice of state funding.
“It's hard. If you're a teacher, you're like, ‘Don't tell me I'm teaching 60 students, I'm teaching 83,’” Thorpe said. “We know we have more (students). But that's not how it's weighted for financials.”
The next scheduled meeting for the college’s Board of Trustees is March 25 at the Walla Walla campus.
“The idea was that they would make a decision at that time (about cuts). We're not sure that they will,” Thorpe said.
Another meeting is scheduled for April 29. The board will need to provide a response to a proposed budget by June 24, Thorpe said, in time for the new budget cycle that begins in July.
