Colleges’ New Budget Includes Funding for Additional Instructors

New state funding and increased enrollment allowed Ventura County community college trustees on Tuesday to approve a healthy $82.7-million budget for the current school year.

The new spending plan, which will guide district finances through June 30, is up 7.8% or $6.1 million from fiscal 1997-98. Additionally, the current budget includes $3.1 million in reserves.

Trustees voted 4 to 0 to allocate about $1.1 million to hire 18 full-time teachers and $315,000 to hire seven instructional support staff. Trustee John Tallman abstained, saying he had concerns about some of the spending categories.

The teachers will receive about $63,000 in annual salary and benefits, and the average salary and benefits for new support staff employees will be about $45,000.

The new instructors will allow the district to begin closing the wide gap between full- and part-time faculty. A state law requires that 75% of community college faculty members work full time.

Currently, more than two-thirds of the 1,450-member teaching staff are part time, most of whom have no scheduled office hours and are less accessible to students than full-time instructors.

“This is one of the strongest budgets the community college [district] has ever had,” said Deputy Chancellor Michael Gregoryk. “We’re taking the right step in committing to hiring full-time staff.”

But Tallman said the district was slow in making that commitment.

“I find it somewhat amusing that we’re not hiring new faculty until we got more money from the state. Hiring new faculty should have been a higher priority,” he said.

Of the 18 new teachers, seven will be assigned to Moorpark College, and will teach courses in computer science, nursing, political science, physics and psychology. The college will also receive three support staff members.

Ventura College also will receive seven new instructors, who will teach classes in English, water science, geography, physical education, computer-aided drafting, paramedics education and advanced transportation technology. The college will also get three new support staff members.

Oxnard College will get four teachers, who will provide instruction in English as a second language, math, business and child development. One new support staff employee will be assigned to the college.

Of the additional $6.1 million available this school year, $2.3 million came from the state’s “Partnership for Excellence” program, a $100-million effort to upgrade California’s community colleges. Gov. Pete Wilson included the funds in the state budget he signed last month.

Projected enrollment increases provided $2.2 million, said Sue Johnson, the district’s executive director of business services and financial management. The district expects 759 additional full-time students this academic year, or nearly 4% more than last year, she said.

The remaining $1.6 million in additional funding came from the state’s Cost Of Living Adjustment Fund--which helps districts cover the cost of inflation.

The three college campuses are attracting more students from overseas, said Chancellor Philip Westin. The district’s effort to draw more foreign students is paying off, he said, with international enrollment increasing 41% to 533 students this semester.

“It means new money as well as a lot of new faces,” he said.

But Thousand Oaks resident Tom Parker, who is running for one of three open seats on the board of trustees, questioned how the district was using the revenues from its international program.

“This semester is the first time in the two years of Mr. Westin’s administration that any of that money has been returned to the international programs at the colleges themselves,” Parker said. “And out of $600,000, only $104,000 was returned. Where’s the rest of it, gentlemen? Show me the money.”

Of the $600,000 in tuition from international students, Gregoryk said $41,000 was given to Ventura College for an international student program, Moorpark received about $50,000 and Oxnard about $13,000.

“The international student program is doing very well,” he said. “It’s the shining star in our whole array of classes.”

In other business Tuesday night:

* The district’s three executive vice presidents and the associate vice chancellor of student learning will be given two-year--rather than annual--contracts. Contracts for the district’s other top managers are handled in the same manner. The move provides uniformity and equity among high-level managers, officials said.