The Contra Costa Community College District is planning to cut $20.5 million in funds and lose the equivalent of 4,400 full time students in the 2011-2012 school year.

Helen Benjamin, the Contra Costa Community College chancellor, held another budget forum at Diablo Valley College on Wednesday April 13 to update financial situations for the district.

The reason for the $20.5 million reduction and loss of students is that the June tax vote will no longer be held.

All of the information given at the Budget Forum was based on information the district had compiled as of April 12 of this year.

Benjamin said, “This is the hand we were dealt, so try to keep in mind the reasons we are here. The students, to keep their opportunities open and to reach their perspective educational goals and become successful in the work force.”

Chancellor Benjamin and Vice Chancellor Kindred Murillo came up with two new scenarios since the last budget forum in January.

“The two scenarios are not worse case scenarios, but good-enough scenarios if the situation gets worse or improves,” Murillo said.

While district officials and staff are beginning to tackle the reductions, the district will receive a 2.21 percent increase in growth funding for a total of $3.1 million in July of this year.

DVC will receive most of the funds with just over $2 million, while LMC and CCC will receive just over $640,000 and $497,000, respectively.

Marc Gronier, the district budget coordinator, also discussed some positive news. “The district cannot force salary cuts of its employees. The state believes our district’s faculty is not overpaid,” said Gronier.  

Still, the reductions are at hand.

The district is making each campus make a list of reductions in respect to their operating budgets. This includes but is not limited to, reorganizing departments and units for efficiency and finalizing campus schedules and personnel reductions.

Finally, the district will develope cost containment strategies and find alternative sources of revenue.