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Hocking College Announced Budget Plan


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UPDATE 3:10 P.M. More than 20 Hocking College employees will be without a job starting November 2, after the college announced a planned reduction in force Wednesday.

The layoffs come in the wake of a $4.3 million budget shortfall, due in part to a 20 percent decrease in student enrollment.

The eliminated positions include 14 non-bargaining/administrative positions, four professional bargaining unit positions and five support staff bargaining unit positions.

In addition to the reductions, four employees will have their contracts reduced and three open positions will not be filled.

In a message to the campus community, Dr. Erickson wrote, "Although this news is painful and difficult for all those affected, the $1.2 million reduction in force is necessary to contribute to balancing the budget by reducing the College's largest expenditure, our personnel costs."

At a meeting Tuesday night, trustees approved a new budget, including cuts in travel expenses.

Hocking College announced a new budget plan Tuesday night during a Board of Trustees meeting designed to cope with a $4.3 million budget shortfall.

The college has experienced a 20 percent decrease in enrollment this fall and earlier this month, employees learned the school would need to lay off workers to help make up the difference.
 
College President Ron Erickson says the school plans to make some major reductions to deal with the lost revenue.
 
"Through a number of costs savings, for instance, reduction in approved travel and the reduced personnel costs because of the lack of need for adjunct instruction, we were able put together some of those savings which allowed us to keep the reduction to the level that it is. Without those savings it could be a lot worse," said Erickson.
 
Cutting down on the number of adjunct professors will recover about a million dollars for the campus. 
 
Erickson says they do not know the number of expected layoffs or when they will occur, but that the reduction in staff will save the college about a million dollars. 
 
Most of the layoffs are expected to occur at the main campus. 
 
Erickson says Hocking College is working to get out notifications as soon as possible. 
 
Earlier, employees were told layoffs would begin as soon as Oct. 1.