Q: How big is the college’s budget deficit?

A: The college has created a comprehensive plan that reduces our 2009-10 state operating budget by $6 million. This plan addresses current and anticipated cuts, permits critical investments and seeks to mitigate the significant reduction in our reserves that occurred in 2008-09.

Q: How many positions have been impacted by this plan?

A: About 70 positions. The college reductions have been achieved through retirements, attrition and non renewals of contract. The 70 positions are out of the total employee headcount of about 830 people in the state-appropriated operating budget.

Q: Why didn’t the college cut more deeply in non-academic areas before phasing out academic programs?

A: The substantial majority of our recommended actions-$3.7 million-focus on non-instructional areas, while $2.3 million will come from the instructional budget.

Q: Why did the college have to cut personnel?

A: The college has taken every measure to offset the budget cuts through revenue generation and reductions in non-personnel expenses.

• The college is proposing a series of new revenue ideas that will generate about $250,000 annually. The college has also developed a target of $640,000 for cost-saving measures in non-personnel expenses, an additional $325,000 reduction in energy use and $50,000 in reduced overtime costs.
• With 84% of the college’s budget dedicated to personnel, unfortunately our plan must include actions that reduce the size of our workforce and consolidate or eliminate some campus programs and services.

Q: Are all these employees expected to leave immediately?

A: No. We are honoring all employment contracts. In some cases it will take two to three years to fulfill these legal obligations.

Q: How big is the college’s state-appropriated operating budget?

A: The budget for 2008-09 was $61.7 million. The 2009-10 budget, (prior to the implementation of the necessary reductions) is $63.7M – which includes about $2 million for negotiated salary increases.

• The state-appropriated operating budget comes from taxpayer support and tuition. It is the taxpayer support that has been drastically cut.

Q: How is that money spent?

A: The college’s 2008-09 spending plan was allocated as follows: 84% ($51.6 million) for salaries; 6% ($3.7 million) for utilities and 10% ($6.4 million) for all other non personnel costs. The 2009-10 plan will be adjusted based on the final adoption of the plan announced to campus on April 13.

Q: I have heard references to the campuses “all funds” budget of a $130 million. What activities beyond the state taxpayer support and tuition and fees (state -appropriated budget) are included in the campus all funds budget?

A: The other activities in our all funds budget include:

• Income Fund Reimbursable account (IFR), which includes revenue from non tuition based student fees (e.g. the technology, athletic, health and course fees); parking and parking registration fees; facility use fees; and other self supporting revenue activities.
• State University Tuition Reimbursable Account (SUTRA), which includes tuition revenue from summer classes
• Dormitory Income Fund Reimbursable account (DIFR), which is revenue from residence hall rent.
• Fundraising, through the SUNY New Paltz Foundation
• Income from meal contracts, the bookstore and laundry services, through the College Auxiliary Services Corporation
• Externally funded research and development, through the Research Foundation of SUNY (Sponsored Funds (grants).
• Student Activities, through the Student Association (Revenue generated from the Student Activity Fee).
• Rehabilitation and new construction of campus educational facilities, through the state university construction fund
• Other activities not included above (agency accounts)

Q: Where can I find greater detail about the actual Budget Plan?

A: Faculty and staff can login to http://my.newpaltz.edu, go to the Faculty/Staff Services tab, under the “Budget Information Center” channel, to the “2009-10 Budget Plan.”

Q: Why doesn’t the college just raise more tuition revenue by increasing enrollment to the college?

A: It would not make sense to admit more students to the college at this time, as detailed in an e-mail message to the campus community from Vice President for Enrollment Management L. David Eaton. It should also be noted that publicly accessible documents on the New Paltz Web site provide data that demonstrate that tuition alone does not pay for the cost of educating our students. The average cost to educate a New Paltz student (based on headcount) in fiscal year 2007-08 was $7,774. Undergraduate tuition that year was $4,350. If the college exceeds its enrollment targets, according to the current SUNY funding model, the campus only receives the excess tuition (and not until the subsequent budget year) for each additional student. The college receives no additional state support for those students and is thus educating any extra students at a discounted rate.

Information about the Comment Period