Austerity Program for Long Beach City College

The Long Beach Press-Telegram has endorsed LBCC Trustee Jeff Kellogg for reelection to the board on April 13th. See, "LBCC Trustees Area 1: Jeff Kellogg Points Out Record of Fiscal Responsibility." I don't know him personally. He's got a reputation as a pretty boy of the city's old-money power establishment. Be that as it may, the college is facing the most severe budget crisis in my ten years. Reserves have run out and last week tensions were running high between faculty and administration over a cost-cutting proposal to cancel the 2010 summer session. When students at the college turned out in large numbers for a recent board meeting, administrators and board members saw some real emotion on display. Too bad Kellogg turned himself into a Class-A prick:

That said, the college president published a long letter in Tuesday's Press-Telegram, "An Austerity Program for Long Beach City College." It's worth posting in its entirety:

For generations, Long Beach City College has been synonymous with success in Long Beach. The college has produced many of this community's leaders, including former mayors and its current superintendent of schools.

Just last week, LBCC was joined by Long Beach Unified School District, California State University Long Beach and the community to celebrate the second anniversary of the Long Beach College Promise - the unique seamless partnership that has put the Long Beach education system in the national spotlight.

Through the Long Beach College Promise, the Pathways to Success Partnership with CSU Dominguez Hills and the Student Success Initiative, LBCC students have experienced measurable improvements in the successful completion of their education goals. LBCC is now the number one transfer college to CSULB and has nearly tripled its applications to CSUDH.

However, these and other student successes are now in jeopardy. Due to the state budget crisis, LBCC has experienced a significant reduction in revenue that has dramatically reduced the number of students it can serve. Coupled with a tremendous surge in enrollment resulting from large high school graduating classes, high unemployment and cuts to CSU and UC, the competition for classes at LBCC has left thousands of students without the classes and services needed to succeed. Despite the efforts of the Board of Trustees to set aside funds for a rainy day, the loss in revenue and costs to operate the college have nearly erased that reserve.

These pressures have become visible to the public. This academic year, LBCC has cut 12 percent of its course sections. Programs and services that serve the neediest students have been reduced even further. Layoffs have occurred and the management team has taken a 5 percent reduction in salary through a one-day-a-month furlough. Recently, discussions about scaling back summer classes brought out teary eyed students to a board meeting expressing their frustration and fears for their future. Despite the economic realities faced by the college our faculty leaders have protested the canceling of classes and union leaders have pointed fingers instead of offering realistic solutions.

While LBCC has decided to offer one summer session this year to further our students' progress, this does not change the fact that the state is not providing funding to meet our enrollment demands. Without additional funding, which is highly unlikely, this shortfall will force further reductions in course and service offerings unless other savings in fixed costs can be achieved.

LBCC now stands at a crossroads. In order to continue to serve the most fundamental needs of our students: career certificates, Associate Degree and transfer success, I have asked the college to do the following: to reduce or eliminate programs that do not serve the core mission of the college and to streamline or consolidate services while protecting the courses that students need to graduate or transfer.

Most importantly, I have asked that every employee group make reductions to its salary and benefits in an equitable way to ensure that our students continue to have the classes they need to succeed. This point is critical since nearly 90 percent of the college's operating budget consists of salaries and benefits for employees.

If our employee groups join with the administration and temporarily reduce their salaries, and agree to health benefit plan modifications to reduce overall health insurance costs, we can preserve access for over 1,000 full-time students next year alone. This task will not be easy but it is necessary for the college to continue its long tradition of academic excellence and student success.

I ask for this community's continued support as we work through these issues. I hope that you will support our efforts to preserve access for students and that you will communicate to our legislature and the governor that the education of our youth can no longer be compromised.

You have my commitment that Long Beach City College will remain steadfast in its commitment to student success for this and the generations to come.

Eloy Oakley is president of Long Beach City College.

My union, the leadership of which I haven't the highest regards, has responded, FWIW: "CCA Response to Eloy Oakley's Press-Telegram Editorial."

I'll have more later ...