On Tuesday, April 22nd, the Clatsop Community College (CCC) Budget Committee met to review the proposed budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The committee, which consists of the CCC Board of Education and seven community members serving three-year terms, engaged in thoughtful discussions on the college’s financial outlook and strategic priorities. The meeting concluded with the decision to allow for additional public comment before forwarding the budget to the Board of Education for approval.
The session began with President Jarrod Hogue presenting the budget message. He outlined the necessary budgetary cuts and emphasized the college’s focus on student facing services and deferred maintenance. “We have a long road ahead,” President Hogue said. “While we’ve made progress this year, we’re looking at 5-7 years of dedicated work to get us where we need to be.”
Throughout the meeting, the committee discussed key issues, including funding for deferred maintenance projects, uncertain federal funding, attracting qualified applicants for leadership positions at the college, and the feasibility of a bond to support college improvements as part of CCC’s efforts to rebuild its reputation.
Bill Meck, a financial consultant hired by CCC, highlighted the college’s improved financial position. “We have a proposed balanced budget for next year, and we had a balanced budget this fiscal year,” Meck said. “This is a major shift from previous years when we had deficit spending. We also have cash reserves, which is a significant improvement.”
The committee commended President Hogue for his proactive efforts in rebuilding relationships with local schools and strengthening CCC’s image in the community. “Jarrod has been a great ambassador for the college,” said Board member Mitra Vazeen. “His work with local schools is helping to attract more students to CCC.”
When asked if the budget aligns with the college’s strategic plan, President Hogue explained that while some priorities were being met, there were compromises. “We are prioritizing student access in the strategic plan, and I made it clear that we wouldn’t touch any student-facing positions,” he explained. “We’re also focused on funding facilities projects, which is part of our reputation-building efforts.”
While the committee seemed in agreement that the proposed looked solid to move forward, they decided to give community members one more opportunity for public comment on the budget before forwarding it to the Board for final approval. A public meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 6th, at 5:30 p.m. in Columbia Hall Room 219. Comments will be limited to three minutes.
Committee Chair Justine Hill expressed her appreciation for President Hogue’s leadership, stating, ““As much as Jarrod is being humble and doesn’t want it to be about him, leadership is very important and the budget reflects leadership because he has to stand by it and he has to face both the students, the staff and the community and he has to be there to make all the decisions. It is never easy to do reductions or cut programs or change reputations. Hopefully the budget translates into improving the college.”
CCC Board member Jody Stahancyk echoed Hill’s praise, adding her approval to accept the proposed budget, “Jarrod has done a phenomenal job. We should recognize his efforts. I think we let him have this budget and then we move forward and next year we can do more aggressive things.”
