The Foothill-De Anza Community College District’s 2010-2011 budget is nearing finalization. Each year, representatives from De Anza and Foothill Colleges coordinate efforts to balance the yearly budget, manage revenues and allocate them among departments. Last year’s budget included cuts in state funding, and this year’s reflects the same fate.

According to former district Interim Chancellor Mike Brandy at an August Board of Trustees meeting, members defined five goals that should be taken into consideration for the development of the budget. First was the importance of balancing the budget. Sacrifices and cutbacks have been made at multiple levels in order to meet this first goal.

“We plan for the worst and hope for the best,” said De Anza’s Director of Budget and Personnel, Margret Michaelis. “We had some savings in utilities and a bit more revenue from the state. One of the major savings is that [faculty] are paying partial medical benefits; that contributed a little over $5 million.”

Brandy’s second defined goal was the preservation of student access and support services, remarking that the current budget will still be able to serve over 1,100 unfunded full time students. According to Brandy, the remaining goals pertain to the reservation of funds for Escrow II (slated for layoff) positions, the maintenance of a future budgetary safety net, and the anticipation of the following year’s budget.

With the Nov. 2 elections approaching, the upcoming ballot contains a money-saving initiative that many at De Anza hope will pass.

“Measure E and the parcel tax can definitely be used to hire more staff and faculty. We only have two full time cashiers serving 25,000 students, Michaelis said. The hard part with [hiring] student workers is that they are here and then they’re gone, so it would be helpful to have another full-time staff.”

Layoffs have been prevented with the use of one-time funds, but that situation could change as early as next year.

“We are fortunate to have had one-time funds to help us manage in this unstable fiscal environment,” said Chancellor Linda Thor. “But those funds could be largely exhausted by the end of 2011-12.”

But while departments are struggling to stay out of the red, the budget currently proposed by the Board of Trustees has some positive effects. According to Thor, there has been a 10 percent restoration of last year’s categorical program cuts as well as an increased funding to bolster enrollment to at least partially backfill last year’s reductions to the student body.

“Yes, we face challenges,” said Thor. “And [we] continue to hope for the best while working diligently to maintain the staffing and operational funding we need to provide students with the best education possible. With the leadership of the Board of Trustees, the district continues to chart a path for fiscal stability and integrity.”

According to Michaelis, De Anza is “in the black” regarding fiscal matters at the present.

Students are affected by budget decisions. Some De Anza students have their own ideas for how the money should be spent.

“I know that we have a lot of [budget] cuts,” said psychology major Victor Lee. “I would like to see more and better classes.”