The governor’s Office of Budget and Management recently informed NMC that its budget allotment for the remainder of the fiscal year will be reduced by 7.58 percent, or by about $340,000.
Orsini, said the community should be aware about the real situation of NMC.
He noted, however, that the NMC interim president’s office failed to inform the board on time about the letter.
This was denied by NMC Interim President Lorraine T. Cabrera who said she informed the regents through email.
“I did email the regent,” she said.
She said she also called a meeting with the college’s key management team members and heads of the academic departments to find ways to reduce expenses without affecting instructional quality.
According to Orsini, OMB’s letter “deals with the overall financial picture of the institution itself. And looking further down, which is the end of the school year, we may not…meet again.”
He added, “All I am asking, let’s be honest about it, I don’t want to hide anything.”
OMB has asked the college to “adjust the expenditure rate for your activities to ensure spending is within the adjusted allocation.”
NMC must make “significant steps” to avoid a bigger budget deficit at the end of the fiscal year, Cabrera said.
Despite the budget reduction, she added, the summer class was not cancelled although they have to limit the number of sessions.
“We have to take care that we meet the institution’s obligations as we find ways to survive,” she said.
NMC Board Chairman Juan T. Lizama said the regents should have been informed about the action taken by the college.
He noted the delay in relaying OMB’s letter to the board.
But the regents are not saying that the action taken by the NMC leadership was inappropriate, Lizama said.
