Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Governor: $410 million for Oregon’s community colleges

Photos and story by Dana Haynes

The budgeting process in Salem officially began today.

Let me explain how it works:

Every other year (usually in December), the governor of Oregon proposes a budget for the coming two years, or biennium. This year, with John Kitzhaber taking over the governorship, and facing a $3.5 billion shortfall for 2011-13, his proposed budget was delayed until Feb. 1.

In the next step, the Legislature’s budget-writing Ways & Means Committee, and its various sub-committees, debates the proposed budgets for each state agency. That process takes many months. It also usually hinges on the quarterly revenue forecast, which will be presented by the state economists in May.

Eventually, budgets are hammered out for each state agency. The budgets go to the entire Legislature for further debate. The final decision generally is reached around June.

OK: That’s the process.

Here’s the dollar figure: The governor is proposing a budget for Oregon’s 17 independent community colleges of $410 million, total.

To put that in perspective, the budget for the community colleges was $500 million just a few years ago. That dropped to $450 million in the middle of the recession, then down to about $417 million currently.

Consider also that, at PCC, our enrollment has climbed more than 30 percent in just two years. Pair that up with the continuing budget reduction and you see our dilemma.

So that’s the process and the prognosis. The budget dance has begun, and we have many weeks of testimony and presentations between now and a finalized budget.

I’ll keep you posted.

Dana