SANTA ANA : College District Faces $2.7 Million in Cuts

Faced with dramatic cutbacks from the state, the Rancho Santiago Community College District is being forced to cut $2.7 million from next year’s budget.

College officials said this week that despite the budget crunch, no faculty layoffs are expected and they hope to avoid any major reductions in course offerings.

But they did not rule out the possibility of raising student fees, cutting some programs and laying off some classified staff.

“It’s hard to anticipate what will happen at this point,” said Stephen Garcia, vice chancellor for fiscal affairs. “We are trying to concentrate on areas that will not affect the classroom in a direct way, things such as postponing the purchase of new equipment by a year and cutting down on in-service training for faculty.”

Garcia said the district is focusing on fiscally responsible cuts that will have a minimal impact on students and allow full-time employees to keep their jobs.

Later this month, the college district’s Board of Trustees will consider which cuts to make in an effort to balance the $68-million budget for the 1991-92 school year.

The college district, which has campuses in Santa Ana, Orange and Garden Grove, will lose more than $4 million in state money if Gov. Pete Wilson’s proposed budget for next year is approved in its entirety.

“Things are much bleaker than in previous years mainly because the state has projected a $13-billion problem, and anything that affects the state affects us,” Garcia said.

The college district enrolls more than 40,000 students in credit and non-credit programs.