GOV. KAINE RECOGNIZES IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN BUDGET INTRODUCTION SPEECH

IF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPROVES GOVERNOR’S PROPOSED VCCS REDUCTION, NO LAYOFFS ARE ANTICIPATED AT GERMANNA.

I write to reduce confusion about the governor’s proposed budget adjustments. This week
Gov. Tim Kaine recognized the important role community colleges can play in saving financially strapped Virginia families money on tuition and in jump-starting the Commonwealth’s economy during a speech he made to introduce his proposed state budget adjustments.

For 2010, Gov. Kaine proposed a further reduction of another 5% on top of the 5% we’ve already cut out of the biennial budget (2008-2010) for a total of 10% starting July 1, 2009.

The good news is that this is just 5% less than where we are now. The good news is also that his budget “also includes increases in the Community College Transfer Grant program, helping more students begin their higher education at a two-year college and then transfer to a four-year institution to get their degree at a lower cost to their families.”

We are doing everything we can to avoid layoffs and/or pay cuts, while recognizing that Germanna must do its part to help deal with a projected $3 billion shortfall in state revenues.

If the General Assembly approves the reduction level Gov. Kaine proposes for community colleges, no layoffs are anticipated at the college for the coming year.

We recognize that in the current economic climate, sacrifices must be shared across all government agencies, indeed across society. We are as prepared as we can be to shoulder our part of that sacrifice.

Germanna has already been taking the following actions to prepare for this cut without layoffs:

· Offering early retirements (3 have accepted so far)
· Freezing most hiring
· Maximizing efficiencies and looking at restructuring positions
· Exploring further partnerships with other community colleges and universities and other organizations, including some in the private sector

This does mean that we have to continue to tighten our belts while trying to serve the needs of students and communities. But we clearly recognize that the governor sees community colleges as a critical tool in helping Virginia and Virginians to recover, and thus has treated us differently than other parts of the budget.

We appreciate the difficult decisions involved in this budget and appreciate that the governor sees us as an investment in the future.

“Even in this atmosphere,” the governor said, “our excellent schools, colleges and universities produce the ideas and graduates that will keep driving our economy. The advances we have made in career and technical education and our restructuring of workforce efforts under the community college system enable us to better prepare our dedicated workforce.