After months of give and take, Amarillo College officials have submitted a budget to take them into the next school year, actually trying to do more with far less, budget-wise.
Things look pretty much the same at AC but there are a lot of changes already in the works.
41 positions have been given up through attrition and retirement and some vacancies won't be filled as AC President Dr. Paul Matney looks at ways to make up for the millions less they'll receive this year.
"We really had to look at both severe budget reductions and revenue enhancements so we've done both," said Dr. Matney. "You're going to find significant reductions in our budget, primarily in personnel."
Larger class sizes and a tuition hike of 11 percent will also greet students in the fall as another way to make ends meet, added Matney.
"Students are going to be able to come here, indistrict student and take 15 hours, a full load, for a little more than a thousand dollars, so we think it's still affordable."
But one thing that won't change is the tax rate---that will remain the same.
"We're not going to go up, we realize the sensitivity in terms of raising taxes," said Dr. Matney.
Dr. Matney says their dedication to excellence and education is still the focus, especially with indications that once again record numbers of students are gearing up for school.
"Historic budget reduction occuring at the same time that community colleges are seeing historic enrollment increases. Our fall registration numbers are running slightly ahead of where they were this time last year."
