City College Board Approves $5.1 Million In Staffing Reductions

LBCC’s Oakley Not Selected For Santa Barbara Presidency

By Tiffany Rider - Senior Writer

May 8th - On April 24, the Long Beach City College (LBCC) Board of Trustees voted unanimously to enact steep budget cuts that eliminate 55 employment positions and reduce the assignment of 96 others.

Of the 55 layoffs, 12 management positions have been cut. The approved assignment reductions will result in 10-month employee contracts rather than full year contracts. These staffing reductions will impact the upcoming 2012-2013 fiscal year.

The college attributes the need for one of the most significant staffing reductions in recent memory to the declining financial support from the state government. LBCC anticipates further reductions from the state.

This cut follows a $3.5 million mid-year reduction impacting this school year due to underperforming student fee and property tax revenues. Another cut is being planned for 2012-2013 in the event that Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax proposal on the November ballot fails.

Even in these tight economic conditions, the college strives to continue serving the community and providing affordable and quality college education opportunities to its students, according to LBCC Superintendent-President Eloy Ortiz Oakley.

In other news, Oakley lost a bid for the superintendent-president position at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC). According to Joan Galvan, public information officer for SBCC, Oakley interviewed for the job on April 13 and was among three other finalists for the position. SBCC trustees announced on April 26 that Lori Gaskin was selected as the college’s new superintendent-president. She currently serves as president of West Valley College in Saratoga, California.