LCC Faculty Colleagues —

Please find below essential information on the LCC budget provided to the Board and their Budget Committee. As you will see from the data provided in the official fiscal audits from fiscal years 21 through 23 and for fiscal years 24 through present, provided by the LCC’s Budget administrators, there is no structural deficit. Instead, the ending fund balance (i.e., reserves) has been increasing, not decreasing. In fact, the general fund ending fund balance has increased 14.4% in the past two years.

It is both unfortunate and unnecessary that the Administration is presenting a proposed budget to the Board and Budget Committee that would use $3.1M in reserves. Among other changes, their proposed budget would increase management staffing levels 10% above this year, which is also 10% above the historic maximum from a time when student enrollment was double the current level (See p. 4 of the Administration presentation to the Budget Committee last week). The budget as proposed would actually create a structural deficit. The Administration is seeking to make cuts of $1M to $3.2M per year for the next 4 years according to their presentation (see p. 7) at last week’s Budget Committee meeting due to a structural deficit that would only exist if the budget they proposed were approved and implemented.

More concerning are the assertions of the administration that they would make all decisions on cuts without the involvement of the Board of Education. This despite the statutory obligations and fiduciary duties of the publicly elected Board of Education and their Budget Committee, which provide public oversight and fulfills a critical function in our democracy.

The next Budget Committee meeting, when the Budget Committee may take action, is tomorrow, 5- 6 p.m. in the Boardroom. The meeting is open to the public.

In solidarity, 

Adrienne