LCC faculty colleagues,

Find below a new report, “LCC Review — Invest in People for a Stronger Lane Community College,” by independent researcher, Daniel Morris, Ph.D. Some of the key findings are listed below.

LCCEA will hold a press conference to release the report, and the Action Team invites faculty to participate in informational picketing in the NW Corner of the Center Building beginning at 4:30 on Wednesday, January 7 prior to the 6 p.m. Board of Ed meeting. RSVP here: bit.ly/4RSVPJan7

Key Findings

·      Lane Community College (LCC) is in better financial shape than it has been in years. Net position, a measure of the net worth of a non-profit college, increased from $24.2 million at the end of FY2023 to $100.9 million at the end of FY2024. As LCC’s fortunes improve, it is important to continue investing in instruction and student services and the faculty and classified professionals who provide it.

·      Like other community colleges, LCC saw steep declines in enrollment during the pandemic. LCC cut faculty and classified staff as a result, though management numbers did not change much through FY2025. However, for FY2026, management positions are budgeted to increase by nearly 10% from 72 to 79 positions. Now that enrollment is increasing again, budgets for faculty are going up. But spending on management is growing five times faster than spending on instruction. Compared to FY2024, budgeted FY2026 spending for faculty is $1.3 million (7%) higher, while spending on management will be $2 million (35%) higher.

·      By borrowing money to pay off its unfunded PERS liability, LCC reduced annual operating expenses by over $47 million in 2024. Freeing up millions each year gives LCC more flexibility to invest in programs and staff.

·      Unfortunately, LCC’s administration is presenting misleading budget projections based on bad assumptions, which they are using to justify unnecessary and harmful cuts to staff and programs. Besides being inaccurate, cutting courses will cost LCC revenue, not lead to savings. At a time when enrollment is increasing, LCC should keep investing in instruction, not cut it.

·      Faculty report heavy, uncompensated workloads. On a recent survey, 78% said they work more than their assigned and compensated FTE, with 38% working at least 50 hours per week and 19% working 60 hours or more each week. Nine out of ten report that in at least half the weeks each term they are working evenings and weekends outside of regularly assigned times. When courses are cancelled, part-time faculty often receive no compensation for the time they’ve already invested.

·      Though faculty pay has increased in recent years, many faculty still do not make enough to be financially independent. On a 2025 survey, 39.5% of part-time faculty who are not retired reported having relied on government assistance while working as faculty at LCC.

·      LCC is among the most affordable community colleges in Oregon, ranking 11^th of 17 for total cost of attendance. Though LCC has the highest tuition & fees of any Oregon community college, considering all other costs like housing, transportation, and personal expenses, it is still more affordable to attend LCC than most other schools. Tuition and fees did just increase by 20% from the previous year. This increase appears to primarily stem from fee increases because tuition increased 3.1% for FY2026. LCC must do what it can to keep school affordable to stay accessible for students.