FY23 Budget Positioning For Smart Growth
The Alamo Colleges Board of Trustees approved the Alamo Colleges District's 2022-2023 operating budget, totaling $427 million. The budget is a financial planning tool that guides our investments and efforts for the coming year. We would like to share the highlights of the Board’s decisions regarding the budget with you.
A glance at headlines across the nation and here in San Antonio show that prices are rising and so is the focus around those pressures as our students and neighbors see the signs of inflation at the gas station and grocery stores. The state of our economy and the impact on San Antonio and the communities we serve were top of mind as we prepared and approved the budget.
The overall goal of this year’s budget is to continue the momentum we created in previous years in making the most effective use of every dollar of revenue to support the economic and social mobility of the members of our community and the success of our students. We are keeping in mind the challenges they face in these economic times — to choose education over extra income and the dedication and sacrifice required to stay the course. We know that crossing the stage will lead to an extra $9,400 for our students and their families every year over what a person with a high school diploma brings home. That’s life changing. The budget is designed to invest to ensure more students realize that goal.
To achieve this, the Board is heavily investing in three main areas: Core Operations, Enhancements and Innovations.
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The board is heavily investing in three main areas:
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Investment Overview
These goals include three major initiatives:
AlamoADVISEFor nearly a decade AlamoADVISE has provided our students personalized pathways to success, reduced the time to graduation and saved our students money. This year the Board has approved investments in AlamoADVISE by lowering the advisor to student ratio from 350- to-1 to 300- to-1; enhancing advising to corequisite and workforce students, extending advising to high school students and expanding the peer advisor model across all five colleges.
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Universal Access to Instructional MaterialsAlamoBOOKS+ has been a game changer, saving our students $24 million in out-of-pocket costs since implementation. The Board approved enhancements to AlamoBOOKS+ to ensure the long-term stability of the program by introducing a $5 fee per credit hour fee for students to rent books and have them in-hand on day one of class. Research shows this is a proven tool for student success. A typical book will now cost a student $15 with AlamoBOOKS+ in Spring 2023. Students will realize an average savings of about $170 per book. The fee will increase to $10 a credit hour in Fall 2023 to ensure a sustainable program. The approved budget also supports continued investment in all programs related to universal access to instructional materials. Faculty participated in focused campus-based discussion sessions and served on the Universal Access Instructional Materials Committee to guide this initiative.
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Smart Talent StrategiesThe Board approved market adjustments of 4.5% starting September 1 for all full and part-time staff, student workers and administrators, with an assurance that each full-time employee receives at minimum a $2,000 adjustment. Utilizing the recommendations of the Faculty Compensation Committee in aiming for the goal of “Three-ness” in compensation (when compared with other large urban Texas community colleges) full-time faculty will receive a market adjustment of 4%. And, adjunct faculty will receive a market adjustment of 9.5%. The Board also approved high-wage, high-demand stipend enhancements for faculty teaching in those targeted fields: Nursing, IT, Advanced Manufacturing and Healthcare.
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