The De Anza College budget could be reduced by $2.2 million, $1 million from last year’s campus deficit and an additional $1.2 million if De Anza takes its projected share of a district shortfall according to a recent budget update E-mail sent on March 24 by President Brian Murphy.
Administrative positions will be cut back. The Dean of Counseling and the Dean of Physical Education positions will remain empty. The Dean of Child Development and Dean of Distance Learning positions will be permanently cut.
The administration will take $275,000 from funds for faculty reassigned time and stipends, while classified staff numbers will be slashed by an estimated 17 jobs. Murphy said that programs will not be cut back because of these cuts.
Part-time faculty will suffer cutbacks when 17 to 20 teachers will be laid off.
Several low enrollment courses will be cut in favor of sections that draw more students.
Some factors have been previously discussed, like the unfilled dean positions, as reported in La Voz last quarter.
Murphy said that the administration will work as a unit to retain as many employees as possible.
He praised the De Anza governance committees and discussed their role in the new budget.
“There are two dimensions, then, to the shared governance process: first, the continued discussion of budgets, reduction scenarios, and options; second, crafting a process of mutual support and collegiality that allows us to trust one another and work towards common goals in the face of a demented state budget,” said Murphy.
In accordance with district procedures, Murphy said that specific employees and jobs will not be discussed until the district’s human resources representatives confer with employee union representatives.
He emphasized the commitment of the administration to “ameliorate the impact” of a decreased budget.
“We face very difficult budget cuts for the third year in a row, due to a combination of inadequate state funding and escalating costs,” said Murphy. “I want to give everyone a clear picture of the magnitude of our budget problem and the process we are using to create a balanced budget for 2005-2006.”