A3 • THE METROPOLITAN • JANUARY 29, 2009
METRO
TARA MOBERLY • NEWS EDITOR • tmoberly@mscd.edu
Todd Saliman, director for the Office of State Planning and Budgeting, presents Gov. Bill Ritter’s budget balancing plan for the 2009-2010
fiscal year, Jan. 26 at the Joint Budget Committee meeting. The notebook in the foreground contains the full budget proposal. Photo by Caitlin
Gibbons • cgibbon4@mscd.edu
Metro’s million dollar problem
By ANDREW FLOHR-SPENCE
spencand@mscd.edu
The economic recession
has Colorado slashing $2.5
million from Metro’s current
fiscal budget.
The state has asked all
higher education institutions
— and other state run pro-
grams — to give back money
previous allotted to them in
order to help save $1 billion to
balance its budget for the next
two years.
Metro was told earlier this
month it had to give back be-
tween $2 million and $3 mil-
lion in funding, or 2.7 percent
of its 2008-2009 budget,
and on Jan. 27, the governor
proposed cuts of $7.5 million
in funding for Metro’s 2009-
2010 budget.
Todd Saliman, director of
Fiscal Year
2008-2009
2009-2010
the state policy office that, sub-
mitted the governor’s revised
budget, said the governor’s of-
fice tried to protect higher edu-
cation as much as it could, but
this year’s budget cuts “would
be felt by many citizens that
rely on state services.”
While the state govern-
ment haggles out the exact
dollar amounts, Metro’s Presi-
dent Stephen Jordan has given
each of Metro’s vice presidents
target amounts they need to
save according to their piece
of the budget, Cathy Lucas,
Metro’s director of communi-
cations said.
The vice presidents will
each meet with Jordan over
the next few weeks to report
back what is most essential
and what could be up for trim-
ming.
Overview of proposed cuts
Colorado Total
$630 million
$1 billion
Source: Office of State Planning and Budgeting
Since Gov. Bill Ritter an-
nounced the state’s spend-
ing freeze in October, Metro
has tried to save every penny­
it has not hired anyone new,
nor made any equipment pur-
chases and the college hopes
this will absorb much of the
cuts, but until the state irons
out the exact amount, it’s hard
to know if the measures have
been enough, Lucas said.
“We are looking at where
we can cut back … while pre-
serving student services and
the student experience in
general,” Vice President of
Student Services Kathleen
Mackay said.
She said her office was in
the process of compiling its
analysis for Jordan.
While Mackay foresees
that offices with openings
Higher Education
$30 million
$70 million
might remain understaffed
— including the First Year
and Hispanic Serving Institu-
tion programs — Student Ser-
vices was able to save a large
amount of money by not fill-
ing staff openings, and hoped
it could make its targets “with-
out effecting current staff,”
Mackay said.
“Since the October cost
containment measures, we
are being very judicious about
how money is spent,” she
said.
While higher education
was originally slated for more
than a 6 percent increase in
funding each year for the next
two years, dropping tax rev-
enue for the state, brought on
by the slowdown in business,
has forced Ritter and the Colo-
rado Legislature to revise both
Metro Specifically
$2.8 million
$7.5 million
“Every month in 2008 the United States
spent an average of $12 billion on the war,
while, at the same time, every month in 2008
Americans were being put out of work.”
- JIMMIE BRALEY in InSight A8
the budget for the current
year and the proposed budget
for 2009-2010.
Around half of the 6 per-
cent increase for this year will
be given back, and depending
on the amounts Colorado ap-
proves for this year the once 6
percent increase could be re-
duced to nearly nothing.
Both the governor and the
state’s Joint Budget Commit-
tee have released their revised
versions of the 2008-2009
budget for higher education,
and Jan. 27 the state revised
its proposed budget for 2009-
2010.
A final compromise on the
current budget is expected to
be hashed out in the middle of
next month, with negotiations
for the 2009-2010 budget fol-
lowing.
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By Kendell LaRoche
CORRECTION
In the ‘Trustees green light
grad program” story, on page
A4 the quote, “So I think what
we’re trying to do is recognize
the good advice being given by
the members of this board,”
should have been attributed
to Metro President Stephen
Jordan.
The caption on page A11
should have read,
New Mexico Highlands Rashad
Peterson, left, and Justin Mayo
Montoya, far right, try to
repossess the ball from Metro
guard Daniel Bass on Jan. 17 at
the Auraria Events Center. The
Roadrunners took the lead early
with Bass scoring 12 points in
the 87-57 final. Photo by Cora
Kemp • ckemp4@mscd.edu
To notify The Metropolitan of
an error in any of our reports,
please contact Editor-in-Chief
James Kruger at jkruger1@
mscd.edu