Hartnell and its budget process

Budget season is upon us (did it ever leave?????) and Hartnell held one forum Monday and a budget study session Tuesday to begin looking at what's in store for them financially. It's not going to be pretty. Administrators have been dipping into reserves for a few years now to keep a steady number of classes, but that may be harder to pull off in the future. And if Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed tax measure fails, forget about it. At Tuesday's budget session, Trustee Bill Freeman repeatedly shouted that he's not going to allow classes for students to be cut. Well, that's precisely what the chancellor of the Community College System is proposing. So how will Hartnell (or any college, for that matter) balance the budget without reducing the number of classes they offer when they get less money for classes, is going to be mighty interesting. Stay tuned.