Ten full-time employees lost their jobs at Gateway Community & Technical College, interim president Dr. Vic Adams said this week.
“We have had to make some tough decisions in the past few weeks, the most difficult related to our staff and faculty. These are decisions no one wants to make,” said Adams, who took over for previous interim president Dr. Kieth Bird, who left the school in March.
“Significant cuts in our state appropriation, declining enrollment and increases in fixed costs have forced Gateway to determine a way to reduce costs while still providing high quality service to students,” Adams said. “With over 70 percent of our unrestricted budget in salaries, unfortunately, further cuts mean positions. Vacant positions were reviewed to see if we could operate without them. As a result, a number of positions will go unfilled, but sadly, this was not enough to make up the gap. Ten full-time employees had to be let go.”
4.5 percent cuts to higher education at Kentucky colleges is part of the next two budget cycles. Gateway is in the process of finding a new permanent president, a position that is expected to be filled by the July 1 start to the new fiscal year.
Meanwhile at Gateway, enrollment is suspended in computer aided drafting & design, visual communications, pharmacy technology, and exercise science programs effective this summer. Adams said that those program changes are not related to the current budget challenges.
-Staff report
Photo: Gateway’s Boone campus (RCN file)
