Classes will be experiencing more budget cuts to supplies this spring at Delta College.
Since the economy took a dip, California has been on a frantic struggle to pull itself out of debt and lower unemployment.
As a result, Delta’s programs took a five to ten percent decrease in their budget for supplies last year and will be taking the same cut this year.
“It’s kind of a trickle-down effect,” said Salvador Vargas, Dean of Applied Science, Business, and Technology.
“Once they [the state] figured out they would have problems funding college, they began to make cuts.”
Before these cuts, instructors could use as much money as they required to teach these courses.
But since Delta College has been tightening its belt, instructors can only take their fraction of the supply budget, and wait to request more at the end of each year.
“The budget cuts limit the number of consumables that we can use in the labs drastically affecting the ‘real world’ experience of the various labs,” wrote Diesel Engine Instructor Dan Carter in an email interview.
“Instead of actually doing some of the labs I am forced to demonstrate how a particular lab would be played out if we actually had parts to use.”
“The faculty has to be more creative with the supplies they use,” said Vargas.
Fortunately for students, businesses interested in these programs donate money in hopes of hiring pupils as future employees.
“Faculty in the trades have partners in the industry that often donate to the programs. On occasion, suppliers have donated obsolete gaskets, tooling and parts which help fill the void,” said Carter.
Such an example is the welding program receiving $3,000 worth of supplies in donations from the Hobart Brothers Company, a welding products manufacturer.