Faculty asks, BMCC answers

By on Monday, May 2nd, 2022 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories

PENDLETON –Blue Mountain Community College Faculty Association President Pete Hernberg issued a news release last week raising questions it wants answered surrounding the college’s next budget and cuts that are planned, which include personnel cuts. We reached out to BMCC President Mark Browning, and he answered those questions. The association’s questions and his answers appear unedited below. Browning’s answers are in italics.

Faculty: The students, alumni, and community members of the BMCC service district have questions about the college administration’s proposed budget. Taxpayers deserve to know: are their funds being spent wisely or wastefully?

Browning: I agree- our taxpayers deserve truths, and a responsible approach to finding solutions to ensure the fiscal sustainability of BMCC.

Faculty: $627,000 Amazon revenue withheld by Morrow County
Due to the college administration’s short-sighted plan to cut educational offerings on BMCC’s Morrow County Campus, the Morrow County Commission voted 2-1 on Tuesday, April 19th to withhold $627,517 of tax revenue collected from Amazon. This money had been slated to go to the college as a one time gift, but the commissioners withheld the money in response to BMCC’s planned cuts. BMCC’s administration needs to answer for this substantial loss in revenue caused by their actions. 

​Browning: False. Only the two voting members of the Morrow County Commission truly know why they voted the way they did. The actual truth is that this is not tax revenue collected from Amazon. This has been well published. Ignorance or disregard for facts serves no one. The 13 million dollar gift from Amazon is simply that; a one-time gift to Morrow County. Oregon Law is quite clear stating that if differences are found in asset designation in new construction/entities- going back to tax in arears is not legally permitted, only to begin at the point of discovery and going forward. Amazon, as a conscientious public citizen in the region, chose to make a one-time gift in the amount that covered the ten previous years equal to the amount of what their tax burden will be moving forward. Morrow County had no obligation to disperse the funds to any of the taxing districts who are within the county boundaries. The Commission originally decided to take 200k for each city/town in Morrow County then disperse the rest based on levy assessments to the various taxing agencies which includes BMCC. You cannot lose money you never had in the first place. Conversations with the gracious Morrow County Commissioners are on-going. I had put forth a plan initially that targeted a substantial amount of the potential dollars to be designated for Morrow County specific activities; activities that are appropriate for one-time monies. It is paramount to clarify you cannot “lose” revenue that was never fully realized in the first place. We should be spending our time and effort engaged in finding reasonable and sustainable solutions 

Faculty: Cutting athletic scholarships
BMCC’s budget cuts over $90,000 of scholarships for student athletes–a cut of 30%. This is in spite of the fact that athletics at BMCC brings in revenue. Why make this cut? Well, salaries and benefits in the athletics administration are increasing by $120,000. Do we want a college with more administrators and less student athletes?

​Browning: Again- simply not the case. BMCC athletics are being asked to help raise $75,000 to help cover scholarships costs. Salaries and benefits within athletic administration are NOT increasing by $120,000. Any potential increases would be for the addition of e-sports, which only takes place if Athletics is able to fundraise the startup costs. 

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Faculty: Title II funds lost
The college administration and College Prep faculty spent the month of March working diligently to prepare a comprehensive application for federal Title II grant funds under the auspices of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). These funds support adult education, GED, and ESL students at the college. On April 6th, without warning or consultation, the college administration withdrew its application, resulting in the loss of approximately $200,000 in federal grant funds. Working all month on a complex grant application and then withdrawing it without consultation–is the college administration creating chaos?

​Browning: It was well documented during the opening hearing on the BMCC FY 22-23 Budget that the College Prep program is a direct cost to BMCC of $550,000. The $200,000 of Title II is actually closer to $150,000 and only goes to goods/services (operational costs, not personnel). The Title II Grant is a five year grant. BMCC is not in the position to commit to 2.75 million of personnel costs, to be fully born by the College and for basic educational efforts that can be accomplished through other mechanisms such as community education. 

Faculty: Class schedule missing
How will these cuts affect students working towards their degrees? The college administration has not published a schedule of classes for the coming year, but it claims it will offer the same classes. How is that possible? When 10 full-time faculty are gone, along with nearly 20 part-time faculty, when 3 programs are eliminated, how can the college say its offerings will be unchanged? How can students plan when these cuts are announced and the college does not publish a schedule of classes? 

Browning: The allegation of nefarious intent behind the publication of the fall class schedule is ridiculous and laughable. We are still well within deadline for the fall schedule.

Faculty: More managers, more consultants–less education
The college budget does have increases–what are they for?

(Editor’s note: The bullet points are from the faculty group. Browning’s responses follow each bullet point.)

  • $100,000 for travel and consultants in “assessment”, plus $65,000 for newly-created “assessment administration.”
  • ​Browning: the increase in the total college travel budget is aimed to cover anticipated costs for faculty and staff who will be attending professional development opportunities, conferences etc., more in person in 22-23 than in previous years due to the lifting of COVID restrictions. 
  • This allegation of a newly-created assessment administration is again, inflamed, and off base. Accreditation (our licensure) requires that we vigorously engage in ongoing assessment and accountability of all programs and personnel.
  • $100,000 for a new administrator in marketing–a position that used to exist until the college cut it in 2020.
  • ​Browning: This is a new position. A replacement for one that is sorely missing. We have no one currently coordinating and implementing a comprehensive marketing place that can help drive enrollment and community involvement. The salary is 65,000. Benefit costs as Mr. Hernberg is aware, add anywhere between 27 and 41% depending on the person (if they happen to be PERS 1 or 2). 
  • $165,000 for a new administrator in “institutional research and planning.”
  • ​Browning: Again, misleading. We currently pay 65,000 a year to Linn-Benton to partially pay for a person (not an administrator- not every person who is not designated faculty automatically is an administrator). Our plan is to bring our own data and the analyzation of our data- in house. This is an 85k annual position plus benefits. The total cost will be partially offset with the 65k that becomes available once we are no longer out-sourcing. 
  • $140,000 to hire a dean of student affairs.
  • ​Browning: This is quite a misleading claim: BMCC has had a 3-dean structure for quite some time. This hire is a backfill. The position of Dean of Student Success was formerly held by a person who is now filling the Chief Human Resources Officer. We have been working to fill this existing vacancy for several months. This IS NOT A NEW POSITION. Student services, or student affairs- student success– however you want to term it, is a large portion of the support BMCC must undertake to support our students and their attendance here; registrar, financial aid, tutoring, advising, navigators, ambassadors to engage with current and new students, and more. We simply cannot nor will shirk our responsibility in offering financial aid and transcription of credits. 

Faculty: The college administration says it wants to be more nimble–does moving taxpayer dollars from scholarships and educational offerings to administrators make it more nimble–or more top-heavy?

Browning: Bottom line- I still await constructive alternatives from Mr. Hernberg and the union, or anyone as to how they would solve the 2.0 million dollar budget gap? This gap exists because costs have been allowed to grow, unchecked- including escalating faculty salaries that the current enrollment cannot support. 

Elkhorn Media Group