Budget Calendar
Each year, District Fiscal Services sends out a Budget Calendar to serve as guide in the budget development process. This calendar and related guidelines can be found at the Accounting Homepage of SOCCCD’s Business Services SharePoint.
Below is a typical cycle to complete the budget process.
January
- Update personnel files. Salary schedules, positions, step and column.
- Governor’s January budget issued.
- Potential mid-year cuts for current fiscal year.
- Work of District Resource Allocation Committee (DRAC) begins.
February
- Load positions/salaries into budget development. Do thorough review and clean up any errors. Add/change positions.
- Budget development calendar issued.
- Work of DRAC in process.
March
- After local income adjusted for current year, local income budgeted in budget development for following fiscal year.
- Send budget worksheets and allocations to divisions for Division Dean, Director or Administrator to work on.
- Make initial estimates of fringe benefit and health and welfare rates.
- Work of DRAC in process.
April
- Receive allocation input back from divisions.
- Input tentative budget. Continual revisions based on changes in personnel, benefit rates, utility rates/use, and income allocations.
- Estimate restricted program income
- Estimate local program income.
- Ensure all plans for college are funded.
- Faculty hiring in process.
- Equipment and Technology Committees complete work for allocation of funds on July 1.
- Work of DRAC in process.
May
- Early May Tentative Budget must be in system to start working on the Board agenda budget item for June.
- Budget Development system is closed to changes while the budget is prepared for the Board.
- Equipment and Technology allocations added to Tentative Budget for expenditure July 1.
- Late May: May revise is issued by Governor.
- Faculty hiring in process.
- Work of DRAC in process.
June
- Tentative Budget presented to the Board of Trustees.
- System is re-opened after Board approval to start revising Tentative Budget to create Final Budget.
- Continual revisions based on changes in personnel, benefit rates, utility rates/use, and income allocations.
- Ongoing input from divisions for adjustments.
- Conference Committees at State finalizing State budget.
- State budget should be completed by July 1.
- Faculty hiring in process.
- Work of DRAC in process.
July
- Tentative budget allocations are available in system for expenditure.
- Equipment and technology allocations available for expenditure.
- Ongoing input of Division adjustments.
- Final budget completed by late July, adjustments can no longer be made. Divisions must wait until the Final Budget is Board approved and loaded into system before budget amendments can be completed.
- Update to the extent possible based on available information.
- Should have final budget allocation from District to balance budget.
- Conference Committees finalizing State budget.
- Usually State budget passed in July; however, specifics as to what this means for our college/district not available.
August
- Often receive final District/College allocation after the final budget input deadline.
- Final Budget presented to the Board of Trustees.
- Final Budget loaded into system and budget amendments can be made.
September
- Attend State budget workshops to ascertain District allocations based upon Final State Budget.
- Sometimes make immediate budget revisions.
- Look at growth; revise OSH budget if necessary.
- College Budget Committee meets to look at allocations and set agenda for year.
- Full time faculty hiring numbers looked at based on State faculty obligation numbers for following fiscal year.
October
- Receive final allocation for State categorical programs, make budget revisions.
- Final number of faculty to hire determined and Board agenda developed.
November
- Continue to make revisions to categorical programs if the State is late with allocations (happens often).
- Budget committee makes allocations to equipment and technology committees for following fiscal year based on estimated current year income.
December
- Start projecting ending balances.
- Prepare DRAC for next budget cycle based on prior year experience.
- Start looking at trends for following year’s budget.
- Equipment and Technology Committees meet between now and April to determine how funds will be allocated.
