AFT Seattle – Local 1789

Approved Minutes of the Faculty Senate
North Seattle Community College
Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Call to Order:   2:40 in IB Math/Science/Social Science Conference Room
	
Present:   

Scott Bernhard
Dave Conners
Val Donato
Tracy Furutani
Carol Hamilton
Brian Holt
Pam Lippert
Lydia Minatoya
Dawson Nichols
Vince Offenback
Christina Purdy
Trish Root
Karen Stuhldreher
Betty Williams

Presiding:	Carol Hamilton, Co-President

Handouts:	Agenda		December Draft Minutes 
				
DISCUSSION AND ACTIONS 

1.  December minutes discussed and approved with very slight changes.

2.  Budget Discussions

A discussion was held to clarify the governor’s projected budget.  President Lafayette’s recent email suggested that NSCC would undergo a 10% cut, but this is not in line with the Governor’s budget.  The governor instituted a 4.3% cut for the current fiscal year and her most recent budget for the 2009-2011 biennium stipulates an additional 1.5% cut in each year.  Together these cuts add to a 7.3% cut.  Of course, the final numbers will be up to the legislature.

The Senate then discussed the already changing demographics of our student body.  It was observed that enrollments are increasing and shifting to lower level classes in many areas.  It was also noted that there seem to be more part-time students than in previous quarters.

Concern was expressed that cutting classes and sections can make our offerings so inconvenient that some students will look elsewhere for their education.  The Senate urges administrators to consider this when trying to make budget cuts.  Short term efficiencies that lead to long term problems are not efficiencies at all, they are counterproductive.  

AFT lobbying efforts are particularly important in the coming months because the governor’s budget does not contain cost of living increases, increments, or equity money and it continues the suspension of voter initiative I-732, which promised pay increases for faculty.  Faculty are urged to sign up for the rolling lobbying days in Olympia.  Faculty are reminded that they can use personal days for this purpose.  Ask your senator for more information if you’d like to become involved.

Dave suggested that faculty get together with students and classified employees in order to come to consensus about how we as a community should face the budget crisis.  Ralph, Tracy, and Carol agreed to arrange a preliminary meeting for next Wednesday, January 14.

Brian and Dave reported that their Budget Task Force has been frustrated in their attempts to get budget information about SCCD and NSCC.  Requests from early in December had no responses until yesterday, January 6, when the Budget Task Force received a small portion of the requested documents.  The Task Force is unable to determine whether the lack of cooperation is due to stonewalling or inefficiency.  There are real concerns that communication between the college and the SCCD with regard to budgetary and accounting matters are poor.  Neither body seems to have a firm grasp of their numbers, which are reported differently in different places (ref. President Lafayette’s email above).

Dave reported that at the December Budget Committee meeting there was a recommendation that 50 part-time sections be eliminated in order to address the budget crisis.  It was noted that this recommendation is at odds with President Lafayette’s stated policy that instruction will be cut last.  After some inquiry it was discovered that there is an informal subcommittee of the Budget Committee that had met and come up with this suggestion.  This informal subcommittee intends to meet again prior to the next Budget Committee meeting.  It is unclear whether this subcommittee is sanctioned by or in contact with President Lafayette.

As the College Council is one of the two advisory bodies giving input regarding the budget situation to President Lafayette, the Senate decided to supplement its previous letter of principles with some more specific recommendations for budget tightening for the College Council to consider.  These are:
•	Demand that self-supporting programs be self-supporting and stop funding them from the general NSCC budget.  These programs include:
o	SCCTV
o	Continuing Ed
o	Ed Fund Staffing
•	Look for efficiencies in exempt and classified scheduling such as considering 4/10 work weeks during summers and between breaks and re-designing administrative duties to  reduce redundancies.
•	Consider practices implemented at other colleges whereby highly paid executive administrators agree to reductions in work schedules and salaries.
•	Eliminate redundant and inefficient positions in administration.
•	Eliminate redundant and inefficient positions at the district level such as Vice Chancellor of Planning and Education.
•	Consolidate areas that do not need to be individualized for each campus such as HR, Marketing, and Distance Learning and Support.

3.  Other Matters

NSCC is currently without any FT nursing faculty.  This must be addressed soon so that the program does not lose accreditation.

Lydia suggested that in all budgetary planning exercises we should prepare for several eventualities.  Because we do not know what the economy and the budget will look like in June, it only makes sense to have plans in place for 5, 10, 15, or 20% cuts.  This will mean that whatever the budget turns out to be, we will have a plan and be prepared.  The Senate wholeheartedly supported this idea.

Lynne Dodson’s idea for more Faculty Senate training was discussed, but because NSCC’s Senators are all veteran senators it was not taken up.

It was noted that the Shared Governance Task Force, which convened last year and was meant to have already issued its report, met only once, came to no agreement, and issued no report.  It was observed that this accurately reflects the state of shared governance at NSCC.

Dave Eberhardt was unable to attend and so there was no Grievance Report.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:45 p.m.

Submitted by Dawson Nichols, Secretary