April 17, 2026

In Progress

For those of you following the Trustees’ calendar, you’ll know that the Board opted to cancel their April meeting which was to occur on Wednesday, April 15. There are a few things in motion at this moment that weren’t quite ready for consideration, two Trustees were out of the country, and several of our presenters couldn’t make it. It seemed like a perfect moment for an unexpected holiday.

One of those topics “not ready for consideration” was the 2026-27 Budget. Our 10^th day enrollment numbers for spring quarter were finalized on Monday and it takes a few days to convert that into revenue. We also need to triple check that our financial books match the enrollment books. This number is important to knowing where we landed this year with regard to revenue and expenses, as well as predicting where we will be next year.

Once this is all calculated in the next week, we can propose a final draft budget to the Trustees in May. At this point, we are hopeful that all of our financial considerations mean a balanced budget for 2026-27. Unfortunately, we will have to draw down on the reserves to balance this year’s budget.

In June, the Trustees will also get a preview of our 2026-27 Strategic Initiatives. Through the work of the Student Success Council, the Faculty Council, and the Guided Pathways Committee, we will be able to land on our finalized adopted initiatives next week. This is a work-in-progress and I am excited to share an overview of it when completed.

A third work-in-progress will be completed later this morning as the Foundation Board votes on the priorities they intend to financially support for 2026-27. Besides scholarships, the Foundation provides more than $250,000 in support to various programs across the college. I can also report on this next week.

While I look forward to the completion of these tasks, I also need to remind myself sometimes to take joy in the moment. Our work, especially around the budget this year was unexpected and we had to make difficult decisions. I am taking joy in that fact that we have solid systems for evaluating our budget, our strategic initiatives, and our Foundation’s funding priorities. I love a good system because it brings transparency, predictability, and stability to our work.