PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula College Board of Trustees passed a resolution to allow the college to continue operating until its 2025-2026 budget is finalized and approved.
President Suzy Ames said the temporary measure is required because Peninsula College is still waiting for the state Board of Community and Technical Colleges to tell it how much it will receive for the next fiscal cycle.
The SBCTC has not yet provided any of the 34 schools with dependable numbers on which to base their budgets more than a month after the legislative session ended in April.
“It’s been a challenge for presidents, vice presidents and administrative services across the system trying to track all of the changes,” Ames told trustees on Tuesday. “As a result, we will not have a formal budget to present to you today.”
The temporary measure will be in effect from June 30 to Sept. 30. In September, the board will receive a formal budget on which they will vote.
The college has had to trim $2.1 million from its 2025–2026 budget due to cuts coming from the state.
The biggest chunk of the cutbacks — more than $400,000 — will come from closing the Port Townsend campus at Fort Worden on Sept. 1. Ames said factors that played into the decision included a steady decline in enrollment that started before the COVID-19 pandemic, its geographical location that makes it difficult to get to as well as most students taking classes online.
She reiterated that the college is not leaving East Jefferson County, Instead, it is looking for an alternate location that can best serve students in the area.
“Right now that population base is in Port Townsend. In five years, it’s probably going to be in Port Hadlock,” Ames said. “As that shift is happening, we want to be there.”
The college’s overall enrollment continues to be strong, with spring full-time enrollment at 1,444 — up 14 percent over 2024, which was a 30 percent improvement over enrollment in 2023.
‘We don’t know how long these double-digit increases will continue, but we’re seeing really strong trends this summer,” Ames said. “It’s been a really successful year.”
The Peninsula College Foundation has raised nearly $1 million during the quiet phase of its fundraising campaign for the new dental hygiene program, Executive Director Cheryl Crane said. The public phase of the campaign will launch in March 2026.
The foundation also is recruiting new members to its board with the goal of increasing the number from 10 to 12 or 13. The board would like to include representatives from the West End and individuals associated with the skilled trades so it better reflects communities and the student body, Crane said.
“Our goal is to have a really strong board that can support the college,” she said.
Anyone interested in joining the board, or knows of someone who might serve on it, can call Crane at 360-417-6400 or email foundation@pencol.edu.
The board elected Clair Roney as the new chair. She will replace Joe Floyd. The board also elected Celeste Schoenthaler vice chair.
Floyd was recognized by the board with a resolution honoring his service as chair from 2023-25, as well as his service from 2011-21 on the Peninsula College Foundation board, where he served as president from 2013-17.
Faculty senate representative Anna King presented trustees with a new checklist for organizing Canvas, the online education management platform that instructors use to manage their courses, deliver lessons and communicate with students.
The reason for making the presentation and organization of material consistent regardless of the course is to create a more user-friendly experience for students.
“It standardizes and aligns instruction so students can have the same experience across all the classes,” King said.
The college held its annual awards ceremony before the meeting in the PUB area of the Student Union Building, where students were honored for academic achievement and volunteering.
Recognized at the meeting were Peninsula College’s All-Washington Academic Team members Ella Bouy, Cammry Lapka, Gloria Tietz and Isabel Turrey.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
