H. Martin Lancaster, President
North Carolina Community College System
North Carolina Association of Community
College Trustees
Leadership Seminar
Friday September 8, 2000
Sheraton Imperial, RTP
Thank you for the introduction, and for the opportunity to speak with you this morning about a subject that will be of increasing importance to both you and the Community College family in the coming months: The 2001-03 Expansion Budget Request of the State Board.
Before I get too deeply into the details of the Expansion Budget, there are a couple of important points that need to be made about this budget.
First: It will be extremely important for this distinguished body of Trustees to become educated about the budget. You wield a powerful communication stick with members of your local delegations. They will and do listen intently to you when they are "back home."
Second: There are two things certain about the environment in which the budget request will be considered:
- There will be, for the first time in eight years, a new Governor in office. Regardless of who that person might be, the new Governor will need to have us on top of his agenda; and,
- There will be a new General Assembly. While no one can predict the make-up thereof, it is likely that there will be new members. And, new members will need to be educated about the needs of the Community College System.
The process of getting to the newly elected Governor and new members of the General Assembly is a task that this body can and must undertake. Why? Because one of the reasons for our successes over the past three years has been the active role the Trustees Association has taken in working with the Governor and members of the General Assembly. You are fortunate to have Helen Dowdy and Hal Miller working for you on a daily basis in that regard.
Third: Increasing teacher salaries to the national average, full implementation of Smart Start, court cases and judgments and hurricanes have been the focus of attention of the Governor and legislators over the past couple of years, drawing in their wake huge amounts of resources. The economic model, which we examine from time-to-time, suggests that the 2001-03 biennium will be tight fiscal times. So what else is new? In addition, a new Governor will have his own agenda for spending priorities.
Therefore, it is imperative that we clearly establish our priorities, as outlined in the budget I am about to review, and sing together from the same hymnal the song: "Community Colleges The most important player in the economic vitality of North Carolina."
We must agree on what is important, become fluent in our conversation about it, and repeat the message over and over again to newly elected and returning officials. I can think of no better place to begin that process than here at a Leadership Seminar among leaders of our local community colleges!
The 2001-03 Expansion Budget being developed by the State Board includes input from the Executive Committee of this Association; the President’s Association and the Faculty Association. The budget can be characterized in four ways:
- Continue to push for critical base funding , in such areas as Continuing Education, support positions in Student Services and other costs;
- Seek to expand upon recent new funding initiatives, in such areas as Summer Term Funding and multi-campus colleges;
- Enjoin the legislature in their interests by seeking new funding areas they have directed be examined, such as faculty salary improvements and distance education;
- Revisit long neglected areas of importance , such as our Learning Resource Centers for library resources, professional development for our faculty and staff, and Small Business Center assistance.
This budget request therefore can be seen as improving upon the recent gains we have made, creating and expanding upon important new initiatives, and revisiting areas of the budget, which have not been funded in many years.
In round numbers, the State Boards’ final budget request will be approximately $155 million new dollars for 2001-02, and $175 million for 2002-03. In terms of perspective, we have a budget of approximately $700 million now.
If we break these large numbers down for the first year of the new biennium, we are requesting:
- $57.5 million to bring faculty salaries to the Southern Regional Average.
- $31.5 million to continue the phase-in of Summer term funding.
- $13 million for anticipated enrollment growth
- $12 million to bring Continuing Education to full funding parity with Curriculum
- $7.2 million for our distance education
- $7.1 million for our libraries
- $7 million for support positions in Student Services
- and $5 million additional dollars for Multi-Campus colleges.
While the budget request is ambitious, I believe it represents fairly, and documents adequately the needs of the Community College System. I know you will join with the State Board and me in embracing the budget once it goes forth to the Governor.
I cannot conclude my remarks without discussing two additional budget items of great importance to each of us, both now and in the 2001 Session. These items are the Community College and University Bonds, and the reauthorization of House Bill 275. While our Expansion Budget request is our "bread and butter" of college operations, the potential rewards of the passage of the bond bill and the reauthorization of HB 275 represents in many ways the future of the System.
It cannot be said often enough how important to both the University and our Community College family the passage of the bond bill is. It represents our growth potential. It represents education, training opportunities, and economic development. It is the doorstop for keeping the open door truly open to thousands of North Carolinians. I must applaud the extremely hard work of Sandhills Community College Trustee George Little, and Richmond Community College President Joe Grimsley. They have put in countless hours in assuring the passage of this bond. But we must go to the polls in November: Trustees, Administrators, Faculty, Staff and Students and vote for the passage of this critical measure.
With respect to House Bill 275, you worked hard as an organization in the last long session, along with our friends the "North Carolina Citizens for Business & Industry", to secure passage. The bill has a two-year sunset provision, and is up for reauthorization this session. But what has HB 275 meant, and what can it mean to our system?
Over the life of the first two years of the bill, we will receive approximately $48 million for equipment for training and re-training for business and industry. In addition, because these funds are non-reverting, some of these dollars may be held to equip new facilities that may come on line in the next couple of years with the most modern instructional technology available.
House Bill 275 funds have also been utilized for both the New and Expanding Industry program, and for Focused Industrial Training. Both of these programs result in direct training opportunities for North Carolina employers.
We need the strong support of NCCBI in having this legislation re-authorized.
So, in conclusion you can see how important it is in having the Trustees Association provide continued strong leadership in communicating our Expansion Budget needs for the 2001-03 biennium; in pushing through the fall 2000 Bond Referendum; and participating in the reauthorization of House Bill 275.
The same good leadership that you exercise in leading your colleges is needed in obtaining the operating and capital resources so vital to providing the instructional mission. I know you will give that good leadership, both this fall, to the next governor, and in the 2001 Session of the General Assembly.
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