Presidents plan for potential summer cuts

Summer 2 classes could be canceled if the district is required to cut 5 percent of its 2010-11 budget to comply with a request from the governor to plan for such a contingency.

Or all of the colleges in the district may switch to a four-day summer workweek. Another possibility may be to increase class sizes again.

These are all just ideas thrown on the table, but no decisions have been made yet, President Robert Zeigler said Tuesday.

Gov. Rick Perry sent out a request to institutions of higher education asking for a plan to identify where 5 percent cuts in state funding could occur during the 2010-11 biennium without affecting direct services.

His request sent out on Jan. 15 gave the Alamo Colleges one month to turn in a plan to the Legislative Budget Board and the Office of the Governor's Budget, Planning and Policy division.

Chancellor Bruce Leslie said during the Feb. 23 regular board meeting that district administrators think they can obtain substantial savings by going to a four-day workweek in the summer although this could affect some of the summer camps colleges offer.

On Feb. 15 Leslie wrote a letter to Perry requesting an exemption from the potential cuts because the district may have to cap enrollment to achieve the 5 percent target.

Leslie's letter said this would "close the door" on the district's open-door admissions policy, which is "the very foundation of our existence."

"We are hoping that our message will be heard," Leslie said during the meeting.

Should the governor exempt the district, then some of the cost-saving measures like cutting Summer 2 courses for this fiscal year could be avoided.

Palo Alto College has followed a four-day schedule in the summer months since 2003.

Zeigler said a variety of strategies are being discussed but that a decision should be made by college presidents in the next few weeks to give ample time to students for planning.

The presidents across the district will choose the option that has the least detrimental effect on students, he said.

Dr. Jo-Carol Fabianke, associate vice chancellor for academic partnerships and initiatives, said she hadn't heard any official discussion of Summer 2 being canceled but confirmed that the four-day workweek was an option.