A strengthened economy has resulted in a slight drop in enrollment at Flathead Valley Community College, which will require the school to readjust its budget.
President Jane Karas told the college’s board of trustees at its monthly meeting on Jan. 23 that the school has the flexibility to adjust the budget to accommodate changing enrollment. Also at the meeting, the school reported that the number of scholarships and fee waivers had increased and the FVCC Foundation had surpassed its fundraising goals.
The drop in student population comes after a period of unprecedented growth. Over the last three years, enrollment at the college increased by 55 percent, thanks in part to students using Trade Adjustment Assistance, a federal program that retrains displaced workers. In 2011, 25 percent of the school’s graduating class had used TAA funds. That number has since declined, which Karas said is a positive sign.
“Part of this is that the economy is getting better and there are more students working,” Karas said in an interview last week.
In the fall of 2010 there were 173 students using TAA and last fall there were only 43. During that same time period the school saw enrollment drop by 154 full-time students. Karas attributed the decline to more students finding part-time jobs and are unable to attend school full time. Overall, the student population at FVCC shrunk by 44 students, factoring in part-time students, between 2010 and 2011. More than 2,400 students total attend the college.
During the rapid growth of the last three years, the school added class sections and also hired several adjunct professors, who are employed by the semester. Now the school will be able to reduce its number of class sections and adjuncts.
“This slight decrease (in enrollment) will give us a moment to catch our breath and review how we can better serve our community and students,” Karas said.
Yet the change in the enrollment will also force the college to slightly adjust its budget. A general fund budget analysis presented to the board stated that the school’s tuition-fee deficit could reach $341,002 by the end of the fiscal year. But Karas emphasized to the board that this was an early projection.
“We’ve been able to easily adapt our operating budget to account for the decrease in students,” she said. “We won’t have any problem balancing our budget.”
Also at its January meeting, the school reported a large increase in fee waivers and scholarships earned by local students who placed in the top 10 percent of their graduating high school class, which has increased the college’s projected expense for fee waivers by $159,728.
Karas also announced that the FVCC Foundation raised more than $500,000 over the holiday season, surpassing its fundraising goal by $60,000. That money will go toward the construction of a new nursing and health science building, which the school hopes to start building this spring.