Funding cuts to community colleges being considered by state legislators could leave Bucks with a $1.46 million budget shortfall, President James J. Linksz recently told staff at an open forum.

Linksz assured the approximately 40 people present at the Oct. 29 meeting, that the situation “has not, in my judgment, risen to a level where we have to be very nervous about it.”

The $1.46 million dollar shortfall is a projection based on a version of the state budget passed by the House. The Senate has yet to act on the measure. It also takes into consideration possible county budget cuts, and enrollment trends.

Anticipating cuts, Bucks has already set aside $1.2 million, Linksz added. He has proposed making up the rest in two ways, should it become necessary. Linksz is asking the budget managers of each department to consult with department deans and reduce their individual budgets by 8 percent. The monies would be frozen in an escrow account and used as needed to supplement shortages.

He has also proposed zero-growth in the budget development process in non-salary, non-benefit areas.

Asked exactly what items might be cut by these measures, Linksz suggested several possibilities while emphasizing that lay-offs are definitely not part of the plan. “We are not divesting the staff right now,” he said.

Rather, he proposed such measures as freezing hiring expansions (not creating new jobs) and leaving some vacancies unfilled for a month or so. He stressed that current searches would not be slowed or halted. Linksz also said that decisions about filling vacancies would be made on a case-by-case basis.

Asked how tuition-sensitive the college would be in making up the shortfall, Linksz said, “Our goal now is not to raise tuition to the point where it becomes prohibitive.” That situation could change in the future, Linksz admitted, but it is not something the college would do easily. Bucks has the second highest tuition among the 14 community colleges.

There are no plans to cut programs or services. In an interview with the Centurion, Linksz said, “Students need to be reassured that nothing will happen to their education.” “We are not planning to do any less.”

In summing up strategies for dealing with the current fiscal problems, Linksz said, in the interview, that Bucks was creating “a savings account against future problems.”

Linksz explained, in detail, the complicated state reimbursement system and how changes proposed by the House would result in a budget shortfall.

For the past several years, Harrisburg has used a tiered system of reimbursement, based on a unit known as the “full-time equivalent or FTE” student. The basic subsidy for a full-time student is currently $1,500.

There are different reimbursement amounts, however, for special categories of students. For example, continuing education students are reimbursed at a per capita rate of $1050. There are also special rates for students in majors which require large amounts of technological or mechanical equipment. The cost of training fire fighters is fully reimbursed.

The FTE plan also provided for an additional subsidy paid to the college if actual enrollment for the year exceeded projections.

In the House version of the budget, that tiered system would be replaced by a flat per capita reimbursement. The total dollar amount would be locked in at last year’s figure, even if more students enroll next year. There would be no supplemental funding.

Since all 14 community colleges in the state are part of the funding pool, their individual decisions regarding shortfalls will have a collective impact. For example, if all the schools set enrollment caps, they could stave off budget problems. Linksz said, however, that is “highly unlikely”. Schools want to expand and offer learning experiences to more students, not fewer.

Linksz announced that the 14 presidents would be meeting in Harrisburg to share their ideas on dealing with budget decreases.

He reiterated, however, that there is no need to push the panic button. “We need to discuss how we’re going to invest the dollars we have.” Linksz said. “We are being conservative about our decisions while we still have some control.”

After the meeting, some in attendance shared their thoughts.

Karol Schaeffler, project director in the business & industry training department found the meeting helpful. “It clarified the details,” she said.

Professor Joe Walsh of the social and behavioral sciences department, a 33-year veteran at Bucks, waxed philosophical. “The college has been through this on a number of occasions and we weathered it. I’m sure we’ll do it again.”

He added: “The advantage of giving people all the information up front is that it helps quash the rumors that often circulate. In the past people worried about their positions because they didn’t know what was happening. The meeting gave everyone a clear understanding.”

Linksz said that was the plan, when he learned of Walsh’s comments during the Centurion interview. “Not only do people have a right to be informed, but by including them in the process they may help generate solutions to the problem.”