This content was published: June 17, 2009. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Budget-writing committee releases the budget for community colleges
Photos and story by Dana Haynes
Holy smokes.
The Education Sub-Committee of the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee voted out a budget for Oregon’s 17 community colleges this morning.
I had written in earlier blogs that the number might be as low as $425 million (down from $500 million in the 2007-09 budget). On Tuesday, I said I’d heard the number $440 million bandied about.
The number the sub-committee came to: $450.5 million.
That means a 10 percent cut for community colleges during this incredible recession.
That, frankly, is a huge success for us. That is a number we can live with.
The lawmakers on Ways and Means are grappling with such incredibly tough issues right now. I don’t envy them one bit.
Key leadership on this issue came from Sens. Margaret Carter and Rod Monroe, and from Reps. Dave Hunt and Peter Buckley. Two other guys who fought hard for us are Reps. Larry Galizio and Michael Dembrow. If you get a chance to thank any of them, do so.
Our budget still has to go to the full Ways and Means Committee, and to both the full House and Senate. Plus it requires the governor’s signature. So we’re not home yet.
We’ll keep you posted.
dana
About Dana Haynes
Dana Haynes, joined PCC in 2007 as the manager of the Office of Public Affairs, directing the college's media and government relations. Haynes spent the previous 20 years as a reporter, columnist and editor for Oregon newspapers, including ... more »