@NSHE Board of Regents is kicking off a teleconference meeting today where they will dig through several budget proposals for deep cuts through FY2020 and FY2021 amid the coronavirus pandemic

Those cuts, requested by Sisolak from all agencies, include a 4 percent cut in FY2020 and scenarios for 6, 10 or 14 percent cuts in FY2021

Regents are starting the meeting by extending the contract of outgoing UNR President Marc Johnson, who was set to leave the top job this summer. New deal would extend his contract until Dec. 31, or until a new president is in place (a process now set to finish in September)

The deal mirrors a similar contract extension given to Acting UNLV President Marta Meana earlier this week, who was also set to leave the post this year.

Johnson's contract extension passes unanimously

Moving onto the budget proposals, Regents are on a tight timeline. Gov's office has requested proposals by next Monday for review, Regents say this will be "step one in a many step process" as revenue picture become clear over next few months

A note on how quickly these proposals came together: System CFO Andrew Clinger finished the last of the tables last night at midnight, according to Chancellor Thom Reilly

Reilly says today's presentation is a "consensus approach" to minimize student and faculty disruptions, adding that system has asked for uniformity in certain areas

Reilly says system is looking at saving money first through vacancies, hiring freezes or other means that would limit furloughs or student surcharges

Talking now about federal relief money through the CARES Act, Reilly said much of that aid will go to assisting students impacting by coronavirus - "These dollars are critical," Reilly says

On furloughs, Reilly says the system "held those until the very end," says if 10% reduction would lead to 2.3% reduction in days per year, or about 6 days per year for professional (not classified) staff

A 14% percent scenario, that would increase to 4.6% reduction, or 12 days per year. That scenario would also increase undergraduate fees per credit betwe $8 and $5

Reilly says that if those scenarios were not adopted, if the 14% scenario is required, system would be looking at nearly 300 layoffs

NSHE CFO Andrew Clinger takes the lead now, begins to walk through the 67-page list of scenarios provided to regents this morning

Clinger starts with the CARES Act relief money. NSHE schools will be receiving the first portion of institutional relief in the form of emergency financial aid grants for students

$59.9 million will be available to NSHE, split roughly 50-50 between institutional support and student aid, Clinger says

Clinger says furloughs discussed earlier would save the system $10.6 million at a 10 percent cut, and more than $21.2 million at a 14 percent cut

Clinger says the recommendation is to "hold harmless the base pay for professional staff as well as the retirement contributions" -- though the retirement contributions may need legislative action, as it did in the recession

On undergraduate fees, Clinger says the system would see $10.1 million from increases of $6 for undergrad credits, $8 for grad, $5 for Nevada State College and $3 for community colleges (again, only at 14 percent cut level)

On the big picture, Clinger says if worst scenario was adopted, it would be a $125 million impact to the system, "which is huge ... especially to [an org] that provides the services we do"

Breaking down budget targets, Clinger says 4 percent reduction in FY20 would amount a roughly $27.4 million cut

Clinger says hiring freezes and vacancies would save the system more than $9.5 million, cuts to travel will save $7 million while one-time equipment cuts can save an additional $3.5 million.

Clinger says transfers of non-state funds and construction savings will cover an additional 6.5 million and 1.5 million respectively, while projected registration fee increases will add another $200,000

Clinger says those cuts will put the system slightly under the 4 percent reduction because funds were already allocated for the fiscal year, about $139,000 to be made up in FY21

Moving into FY21, Clinger says CARES Act funding would kick in, and at 6 percent scenario allocating $29.8 million to offset reduced state appropriations

Clinger says final CARES Act funding, provided from the US Dept. of Education yesterday afternoon, would come in at $30.4 million -- slightly higher than initial estimates from outside groups.

Clinger says first major difference is the addition of the 2.3 percent furlough, which adds $10.6 million in cuts. 10 percent cut scenario also adds a redistribution (but not an increase) in student fees

Moving to the highest cut scenario, 14 percent, Clinger says furloughs increase 4.6 percent, cutting $21.2 million, while temporary student fee increases add another $10 million. Clinger says without those changes, it would "literally impact hundreds of positions"

UNLV President Meana up now, says the universities approach was guided by shielding students' education and research at the university. Meana says UNLV plans to meet FY2020 cuts through a hiring freeze and other cuts mentioned previously

Meana says salary reductions and student fee increases are "always a last resort," says budget scenarios avoid layoffs that would "only add to the state's ailing economy"

Meana says CARES Act funding is crucial. if budget reductions continue and no additional aid comes, "we will be facing a more drastic situation," she says

Meana says that "we have been through difficult times before, and we have risen from those depths to attain our Tier 1 status and improve all of our student metrics"

Marc Johnson of UNR is up now, harkening back to the recession when the school pared back entire class programs. Johnson says that won't happen here, will focus on salary and operating budget savings

Johnson says school will focus on savings from salary savings, but will only dip into operating budgets into the deeper cut levels, i.e. the 10 and 14 percent levels.

Johnson says almost "nothing left to take" from hiring freeze at 14 percent level, which would "completely decimate" operating budgets for travel and supplies

Johnson closes by saying reductions will set back momentum "quite a bit," but that since Recession, UNR has focused on core programs and even with national recognition, school is willing to participate "in pulling Nevada out of the severe economic and health effects" state has

President Bart Patterson from Nevada State College says school has "basically swept" long term planning for equipment. Adds that FY21 reductions will rely on CARES Act relief, as well as operating and other cuts, as previously mentioned

Patterson tells regents that this budget is "only a snapshot of the issues that we have," adding that it's difficult to know what admissions will look like in the fall. "The fact of the matter is that we still have to keep hiring"

President Federico Zaragoza from the College of Southern Nevada says FY20 and FY21 cuts will come from many of the sources already stated

President Joyce Helens from Great Basin College says new budget formulas had already strained hiring and operating budgets, and these cuts are a "significant strain." Helens says college is in a stable place, but she remains "sensitive" to the fragility of sustainability

President Karin Hilgersom from TMCC in Reno says she's convened a committee with relevant groups to analyze actual budget reductions, and that committee agreed to avoid layoffs as much as possible

Hilgersom says immediate fiscal year will see $1.5 million in cuts, paid for largely through sweeps of unused operating budgets

President Vincent Solis at Western Nevada College says COVID-19 has magnified existing challenges, adds that savings built up will cover FY20 cuts, while later cuts will follow recommendations already laid out

Interim President Kumud Acharya from DRI says loss of state dollars hurts, but is understandable considering the circumstances