Community Colleges of Spokane cuts budget, but chancellor is optimistic - Wilson Criscione, Inlander

In response to an $8 million budget deficit, Community Colleges of Spokane has been forced to cut some faculty and staff positions and slice its reserve fund in half. But CCS Chancellor Christine Johnson said Wednesday that the 2016-17 budget reductions, which were decided on during a Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday, are not as devastating as they could have been. A variety of factors have played into the budget crisis at Community Colleges of Spokane. It has seen a 30 percent reduction in state funding since 2009; there have been costly glitches in the rollout of a new software system called ctcLink; and a new funding formula has changed how money is allocated to community and technical colleges that has had a greater impact on CCS. It also has to pay more than $1.7 million as part of a class action lawsuit settled by the state, Moore v. Health Care Authority, which has cost agencies across the entire state. http://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2016/06/22/community-colleges-of-spokane-cuts-budget-but-chancellor-is-optimistic