A tentative budget of $13.6 million for fiscal year 2018-19 was approved during Tuesday’s meeting of the Hopkinsville Community College Board of Directors. The budget is $654,000 less than last year’s and is the college’s first compiled under a new funding model and a mandated 6.25 percent cut in state appropriations.
In 2017 Kentucky joined other states in instituting a performance-based funding model, formally linking appropriations with student success. Based on 2015-16 data the college received over $450,000 in appropriations through the new model, representing $20,000 more over last year without any cuts.
Additionally, the college did not have to dip into its reserves to balance the budget mostly due to 13 faculty retirements representing 220 years of experience, according to meeting discussion. The budget is expected to be finalized Monday with only minor changes.
HCC President Alissa Young also received her first evaluation Tuesday. Though she has only been at the helm for six months’ she either met or exceeded expectations in all areas. That amounts to a grade point average equivalency of a B+ to an A-, according to Board Chair Gary Logan.
Among the challenges facing the college is a continued fall in enrollment with Fall 2018 headcount down 6.2 percent over the same time last year. Reduced enrollment can add to budgetary concerns as the college receives less money from Pell Grants and textbook commissions.
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