Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

PCC's 2000-01 Fiscal Year Budget Approved by Board

Photos and story by James Hill

The Portland Community College Board of Directors formally adopted the college’s general fund fiscal year budget during its monthly meeting on Thursday, June 22 at the Sylvania Campus conference rooms. By a unanimous vote, the seven-member board adopted a general fund budget of $102,935,569, which includes all total operating expenditures for the 2000-01 fiscal year.

The highlights of the 2000-01 budget include:

• $578,000 in support of increased enrollment at the Cascade Campus. This is funded through tuition from the additional enrollment, which is projected to increase 14 percent.
• $779,000 for increased staff support to computer labs, including extended lab hours. This will be funded by a $1.50 per credit hour technology fee.
• $173,900 to convert seven part-time faculty to full-time.
• $261,000 to increase the recruiting presence for the International Education Program.
• $100,000 for replacing audiovisual equipment.
• $52,350 to fund more biology sections.

The breakdown by campus is: Sylvania, $28,784,555; Rock Creek, $13,376,638; and Cascade, $10,865,306. The college’s Open Campus will receive $5,616,500 for its adult and continuing education programs, and $4,660,861 for its business and government services.

The board’s formal adoption of the budget followed certification from the Multnomah County Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission at the conclusion of a public hearing on Thursday, May 18. The levy to property owners will be $.2828 per thousand of assessed value.

The PCC general fund is the college’s primary operating fund for all major instructional programs, instructional support and services. The main sources of revenue are property taxes, tuition and community college funding from the State of Oregon.

State funding accounts for $55.7 million, or 55.1 percent, of PCC’s general fund budget and is derived from general state tax support and 50 percent of property taxes that are divided primarily by student enrollment between the 17 Oregon community colleges. Tuition and fees are estimated at $26.7 million, or 25.3 percent of the general fund resources. The estimate includes a $1 per credit tuition increase for a total of $39 per credit hour, which began summer term. Local property taxes of $8.1 million, or 8 percent, along with projected resources and transfers from other miscellaneous sources, provide the remainder of the general fund budget.

PCC will ask district voters to approve a bond measure, which will be placed on the November 2000 ballot to provide financing for much-needed additions and improvements to facilities. The approved budget does not include provisions for the bond measure. A separate budget will be presented for construction projects if voters approve the bond measure in November.

PCC serves about 90,000 district residents each year at many locations throughout its 1,500-square-mile service district. The college has three main campuses (Cascade Campus at 705 N. Killingsworth; Rock Creek Campus at 17705 N.W. Springville Road and Sylvania Campus at 12000 S.W. 49th Ave.) and workforce training centers in Central, Northeast and Southeast Portland, and Beaverton.