Esteemed Board of Education members,

I am writing with a few critical updates for your consideration. I ask that you uphold your roles and duties as publicly elected Board of Education members in voting per your own policies and in ensuring that the LCC Administration follows your direction and takes action consistent with your votes. The people of Lane County are counting on you to fulfill your democratic function as elected Board members governing our beloved LCC.

1. The LCC Administration continues to present the idea in multiple meetings across campus that the LCC Board has approved or accepted cuts of $3M each year for the next three years. As you may be aware, the budget development process for next year has not yet begun, and this action appearsinconsistent with Oregon Public Budget law according to a legal memo and your own votes as the Board of Education. In addition, the Board voted on September 30, 2025 to explicitly exclude the $3M reference from the President’s goals.

See examples of direct quotes from management to faculty this week. In addition, I personally attended the College Council meeting last week where the Administration again presented to the full Council and numerous deans in attendance that the Board had accepted a plan to make $3M in cuts each year for the next three years.

Direct quotes from deans by email to faculty in their areas over the past few days:

“the planned $3 million in cuts starting in FY27 through FY29, which have been discussed at multiple board meetings and our Fall In-Service.”

“As part of the ____ Division’s 7% reduction to the part-time faculty budget…”

“As you may already know from various forums and sources, the college is projecting deficits for the current year and the subsequent two years. In order to begin to close these deficits and to begin to raise the ending fund balance to 10% per the Board of Education’s policy we are having to reduce the current year’s part time assignments for winter and spring terms. These adjustments are occurring across Academic Affairs. “

2. The LCC Administration is directing deans to cut 7% from part-time faculty budgets across the college this year. Deans are cutting classes that students have already begun registering for from the Winter and Spring term schedules.  This year’s budget does not have 7% cuts in the part-time budget – this has not been presented nor approved by the Board of Education.  According to the Budget and Finance office, the amount built into this year’s budget for part-time faculty is $8,614,774, not including OPE. OPE adds an additional $2.M, bringing the total part-time budget to $11,543,797. Cutting this budget by 7% amounts to $808,066. This figure far exceeds the $675,000 in budget reductions that the Board approved and far exceeds the $262,500 figure presented by the Administration as a proposed plan at the September 3 Board of Education meeting, which the Board has also not voted to approve.
   
   
3. Cutting lecture classes, which generate substantial net revenue on tuition alone without any state reimbursement, will not only remove opportunities for students, it hurts the bottom line. LCC will lose money and close the door to students. See below for details. A lecture class with only 15 students taught by a top-paid part-time faculty member generates net revenue. A single lecture class with 30 students generates nearly $10,000 in net revenue (after subtracting full salary and full OPE overhead costs). 100 sections generate nearly $1,000,000. A similar course taught by a full-time instructor at the top of the salary schedule generates $2700 in net revenue and $269,360 for 100 sections. Please note: these revenues are generated based on tuition alone, so state funding is excluded from these calculations, and the growth cap in the CCSF does not apply.
   

4. LCCEA has demanded to bargain over the sudden cuts to part-time faculty, for which LCCEA has received no notice from the Administration. LCC is legally obligated to refrain from cutting these classes and negotiate with LCC. The LCC Administration has not responded to LCCEA’s demand to bargain. If the Administration continues cutting these classes from the Winter and Spring schedules prior to negotiating with the faculty, that action constitutes another unfair labor practice under Oregon state law.

5. Finally, regarding the important goal of maintaining a 10% ending fund balance. Please note that BP 6230 requires, “When the Ending Fund Balance falls to 9% or less, the college shall adopt a plan to replenish the Ending Fund Balance to 10% within three years.” The FY24 Ending Fund balance according to the most recent official audit statement is $8,332,887, and LCC Administration estimates that the FY25 ending fund balance is $8,570,000. This ending fund balance has grown by $1M over two years. This means that the restoration which should occur over the next three years should amount to about $800,000 per year, not $3M per year. The policy requires restoration of the actual ending fund balance, not future projections that build in unrealistic assumptions such as 7.5% salary increases and 19% OPE increases.

Thank you for your service on the LCC Board of Education.

Your role is vitally important for our democracy, including responsibility and accountability to the people of Lane County.

Most sincerely,

Adrienne