OCC a good model for handling budget

Any agency reliant on state funding knows that cuts are on the way

and, as a result, has an extremely important responsibility at hand.

Orange Coast College officials estimate their expected midyear

loss at $6 million and have already begun making decisions to

accommodate it. So far, so good.

OCC last week decided to send money it receives from the weekend

swap meet on its campus toward for-credit classes. Up until now, the

funding has traditionally been used on the school’s professional arts

series, which brings performers such as Debbie Reynolds to campus. As

enjoyable as these performances may be, college officials made a wise

decision to put students first.

It is an unfortunate inevitability that class sections will be cut

at not only OCC but throughout the Coast Community College District.

But the fewer courses cut, the less students will suffer.

OCC officials know this and, while proposing cuts of about 1,000

class sections over the next year to save $3 million, they also have

plans that save $500,000 from the swat meet revenues, about $500,000

in office supplies and another $2 million in savings through a hiring

freeze and retirements.

While some of these obviously will hurt students and staff, it

could be worse, as it will be at other state-funded entities. College

officials obviously are doing their best to avoid staff layoffs and

cutting more courses. For this, everyone should be appreciative.

At the same time, other agencies -- including the cities of Costa

Mesa and Newport Beach and the Newport-Mesa Unified School District

-- should take note. There are tough decisions at hand, but they can

be made more painless than others.