1. Budget approval
The total budget approved for FY 2017-18, which begins Sept. 1 and ends Aug. 31, 2018, is $427 million, LSCS CFO Jennifer Olenick said during a presentation of budget highlights.
This total allots $366 million for operating expenses, $53 million for debt services and $7.5 million for addition to reserves. The board will be asked to adopt the FY 2017-18 tax rate during the Oct. 4 board meeting. A proposed tax rate has not been announced.
The board voted to adopt FY 2017-18 budget in a 6-1 vote with trustee Kyle Scott not in favor of the budget due to a student fee increase that was approved in March, he said.
Here is an overview of major revenues and expenditures:
Revenues:
$152 million: tax revenues for operations (up $10 million from forecasted FY 2016-17 budget)
$126 million: tuition and fees (up $11 million from forecasted FY 2016-17 budget)
$78 million in state appropriations (up $4 million from forecasted FY 2016-17 budget)
Expenditures:
$4.2 million: 2 percent raise for full-time and part-time staff
$4.2 million: programs and operations at new facilities
$2.3 million: new faculty
$1.8 million: employee reclassifications
$1 million: campus growth
$1 million: campus performance
$1 million: debt service payment
2. Approval of bachelor’s degree programs
The board voted to approve three bachelor’s degree programs in response to the recently passed legislation allowing community colleges in Texas to offer certain four-year degrees.
A Bachelor of Science in Nursing and two Bachelor of Applied Technology degrees—Computer Information Technology and Energy and Manufacturing Leadership—were approved by the board to be offered at the college system.
However, there are several steps left until LSCS can officially open enrollment for these degree programs, LSCS Chancellor Steve Head said.
“There’s a lot that needs to happen—not from our standpoint,” Head said. “We’re pretty well organized on it. It’s these other agencies we have to deal with.”
The college system hopes to offer a BSN program by fall 2018, Head said.
3. Policy updates
Four policy updates were approved to reflect the Sept. 1 effective date of Senate Bill 4, commonly known as the "sanctuary cities" bill. The new law requires local law enforcement to comply with federal immigration authorities and also allows officers to ask detained persons about their immigration status.
A sentence stating, “Nothing in this policy section limits a Campus Peace Officer from inquiring into the immigration status of a person under lawful detention or arrest,” has been added to each policy.
These updated policies include: ethical standards; prohibited unlawful discrimination and harassment; civil rights complaints; and sexual harassment, assault, violence and discrimination.
