SSCC prepared for state funding cuts

SSCC prepared for

state funding cuts

By BRANDY CHANDLER

The Highland  County Press

As with most Ohio institutions of higher education, Southern State Community College can expect to suffer state-level cuts in funding in the coming year. 

   SSCC Vice President of Business and Finance Jim Buck told The Highland County Press this week that, “We received notification on Sept. 17 that there was a planned lapse of $127.5 million in SSI funding to state colleges and universities. 

   “Cuts to state funding are nothing new, but this notice is unusually early in the fiscal year and not that long after full funding was indicated. Our state colleges and universities are used to cuts, but everyone was surprised at this one.”

   The college will receive a $494,065 cut in funding, according to Buck.

   “Although we are not happy to hear about this it should have a fairly limited impact on our budget,” Buck said. “This reduction represents 2.5

percent of our budget and, fortunately, it will be offset by additional unbudgeted enrollment growth. Once again, the benefit of a conservative approach to budgeting can be seen.”

   According to Buck, there will be no material effect to the college’s short- and long-term budget and there will be no general cuts in the budget.

   When asked this week how this will affect the college’s long- and short-term plans for development, and the budget in general, SSCC President Dr. Kevin Boys said, “This means that we need to continue the college’s practice of conservative budgeting and the use of any available financial resources to best serve the needs of our five counties. From a long-range planning perspective, it certainly could mean finding new sources of revenue to fund new programs or making harder choices to redeploy existing monies to new priorities.

   “One of the persistent economic challenges facing all schools is the difficulty to predict state revenue,” Boys said.

   “Although both K-12 schools and higher education have largely escaped cuts during the last biennium budget, we have been planning for significant cuts in state support during the next biennium.

   “Certainly, record growth in enrollment coupled with very conservative staffing decisions have positioned the college well for weathering this.”

As with most Ohio institutions of higher education, Southern State Community College can expect to suffer state-level cuts in funding in the coming year. 

   SSCC Vice President of Business and Finance Jim Buck told The Highland County Press this week that, “We received notification on Sept. 17 that there was a planned lapse of $127.5 million in SSI funding to state colleges and universities. 

   “Cuts to state funding are nothing new, but this notice is unusually early in the fiscal year and not that long after full funding was indicated. Our state colleges and universities are used to cuts, but everyone was surprised at this one.”

   The college will receive a $494,065 cut in funding, according to Buck.

   “Although we are not happy to hear about this it should have a fairly limited impact on our budget,” Buck said. “This reduction represents 2.5

percent of our budget and, fortunately, it will be offset by additional unbudgeted enrollment growth. Once again, the benefit of a conservative approach to budgeting can be seen.”

   According to Buck, there will be no material effect to the college’s short- and long-term budget and there will be no general cuts in the budget.

   When asked this week how this will affect the college’s long- and short-term plans for development, and the budget in general, SSCC President Dr. Kevin Boys said, “This means that we need to continue the college’s practice of conservative budgeting and the use of any available financial resources to best serve the needs of our five counties. From a long-range planning perspective, it certainly could mean finding new sources of revenue to fund new programs or making harder choices to redeploy existing monies to new priorities.

   “One of the persistent economic challenges facing all schools is the difficulty to predict state revenue,” Boys said.

   “Although both K-12 schools and higher education have largely escaped cuts during the last biennium budget, we have been planning for significant cuts in state support during the next biennium.

   “Certainly, record growth in enrollment coupled with very conservative staffing decisions have positioned the college well for weathering this.”