WHITTIER – At the direction of Superintendent/President Dr. Arturo Reyes, Río Hondo College hosted its first 2019-20 campus-wide budget forum Wednesday in the spirit of transparency. Sharing information about the College’s finances through forums, opens the budget process to the entire campus community.

“Our goal is that, with this new level of transparency into our finances, we can empower our campus community to prioritize our goals behind student success and equity,” Reyes said. “This open dialogue allows us to work together for collaborative solutions to increase student access, support and success.”

Vice President Yulian Ligioso and Director of Accounting Stephen Kibui openly shared the College’s finances to the campus community during the first budget forum, peppered with questions and answers.
“The intention is to share information about the budget development process and broaden understanding of how we financially operate. Hopefully, it will spur many members of our community to become involved in our budget development process,” Ligioso said.

During the budget forum, Ligioso shared the College’s budgeting calendar, which includes passage of the state budget, adoption of a tentative Río Hondo budget and a final budget. The process includes setting enrollment targets and a process for reviewing priorities, needs and allocating resources.

California Community Colleges follow a new state funding system called the Student Centered Funding Formula. The formula provides a base allocation reflecting enrollment.

A supplemental allocation is given for students who receive financial aid such as a College Promise Grant, Pell Grant or are covered by AB 540 that allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition.

Finally, colleges receive a student success allocation tied to the number of students who earn associate degrees, credit certificates, transfer to four-year universities/colleges, complete transfer-level math and English in their first year or who complete nine or more career education units and attain the regional living wage.

The first forum was held Aug. 28; a second and third are scheduled for 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4 and 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5 in the Board Room in the Administration building.