Reduced Funding Coupled with Increased Square Footage Demands Strategizing

“Budget cuts” was a running theme in last year’s M&O Year-End Report. Unfortunately, the same theme has only intensified. New Mexico’s shortfall in funding public education doesn’t just affect the much read about furlough days and possible employee lay-offs. Funding cuts were made across the board, including in the already hard hit M&O budget.

Another 19 M&O positions have been lost since last year, bringing the total of lost full-time employees to 96 since the 2006-07 fiscal year. The Division has realized a $7.6 million cut in its operating budget (not including utilities) during this same time period (22%), and $5.6 million cut between the 2008-09 total budget and the 2009-10 fiscal year budget (17.0%) – but an increase of 5.49 million square feet of space since 2005 that the Division is responsible for maintaining. As the following numbers indicate, M&O has realized its most dramatic cut between the last and current fiscal year – 38.2%! M&O’s total operational budget has been cut 51.8% between the 2006-07 and 2010-11 (current) fiscal years! As all District division budgets – academic and administrative – have been cut, it will increase the need of M&O services; no funds to replace “old” results in more repairs.