The Odessa College Board of Trustees will consider approving the 2022-23 budget at its 6:30 p.m. meeting Tuesday in the Zant Community Room of the Zant Community Center, 201 W. University Blvd.
The board discussed the budget at a July 27 work session.
At that meeting, Chief Financial Officer Brandy Ham said the proposed budget with all funds is $75,241,575. The unrestricted funds are $58,761,177 and the restricted and plant funds are $16,480,338.
Ham said restricted funds include things like Pell grants and any leftover CARES money. CARES stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security.
Overall, Ham said the budget is increasing by $5,537,000, which is equivalent to a 10.4 percent increase.
Ham said looking at the revenue projections to support the budget, tuition and fees are increasing by $3.3 million, or 24 percent.
Taxes are also increasing by $2.1 million, which Ham said is equivalent to a 7.9 percent increase. She added that this is based on net assessed values increasing by 13.5 percent.
The budget priorities for the year are to maintain competitive salaries, support the OC 10,000 initiative, investing in student success strategies and completion of ongoing construction projects across campus.
Some of the main new initiatives are mental telehealth software that will aid our students 24 hours a day; a 20-foot shipping container for our OSET CE Department (OSET stands for Occupational Safety & Environmental Technology); chat platform licensing; food pantry vouchers; vehicle replacements; and a ranch water well.
On the food pantry vouchers, Ham said the college has set aside funding for food for the food pantry and vouchers for students to eat in the cafeteria when they are physically on campus.
Ham said the budget also includes a net increase of 23 full-time positions.
“Our instructional faculty and staff are increasing by 18 positions. The administrative and support staff by five positions for a total of 23. …,” Ham said.
Ham said the proposed budget also includes a 6 percent raise for all eligible full-time faculty, professional and classified staff.
OC has 422 employees in the proposed budget, but not everybody would be affected by that. They would have had to be hired before April 15 to be eligible, Ham said.
The salary change moves from 15 semester credit hours for faculty to the 18 semester credit hours for faculty, a one-time, mid-year $300 stipend for all eligible full-time employees and then a mid-year performance bonus for all eligible full-time employees, she said.
The board also will:
>> Accept the resignation of trustee J.E. “Coach” Presley.
>> A Vision 2030+ update.
>> Summer Pantry Garden update.
>> Academic Partnerships summer recruitment efforts.
>> Education report, bachelor degree updates.
>> Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) reaffirmation.
