Clark officials released the finalized $2.2 million budget reduction proposal for the 2016-17 school year today.
The finalized proposal includes the elimination of six transfer and five career-technical programs. It also includes the reduction in sections for 12 programs.
The original draft called for a $2.6 million reduction, including the elimination of the Addiction Counselor program, which is now only proposed to be reduced. The second-year Spanish and Japanese, Meteorology, Geology and Pharmacy Technician programs were also proposed to be reduced or eliminated but are now unaffected.
Criminal Justice, Reading, French, German, Humanities and Oceanography are still proposed to be eliminated.
The Board of Trustees will vote to approve the proposal on Nov. 18, with transfer program cuts taking effect Summer 2016, according to vice president of Instruction, Tim Cook.
The Instructional Planning Team, which oversees the addition and elimination of career-technical programs, will also be involved in the process for the CTE programs affected. The proposal includes the Fitness Trainer, Medical Radiography, Nursing Assistant Certified, Paralegal and Surveying and Geomatics programs.
The career-technical program cuts on the proposal must be submitted to the IPT by Nov. 20, with implementation dates to be determined.
The Reduction in Force committee, comprised of five faculty, three administrators and one ASCC representative will decide the course of action for the four tenured faculty impacted. “A lot” of adjunct instructors will lose their jobs, according to Cook.
The cuts are being finalized after the Instructional Council, comprised of deans and advisers, pored over feedback from faculty, staff, students and the community for over a month.
The biggest change students will notice is fewer sections of courses being offered, which may make scheduling their classes more difficult. Clark will continue to teach students enrolled in career-technical education programs if the program is cut, according to Cook.
The process started when the Instructional Council developed a rubric to rate programs on job availability, completion rates and student-to-faculty ratios. The raw findings were released in June and an initial proposal of cuts was finalized Sept. 17.
The initial proposal included $2.6 million in cuts, about $600,000 more than was needed to meet the budget deficit. The administration released the proposal with the intention of receiving feedback from those at the college and in the community.
Faculty and staff submitted responses via an online form, community businesses sent letters to the vice president of Instruction and students attended forums to learn and give feedback.
The school’s operating budget, which pays for academic programs, is being targeted after years of enrollment declining as a result of an improving economy and job market. Projects like the new STEM building are not affected by the deficit because they are paid for by the capital budget, which is given to schools across the state as they need it for various ventures.
See the full proposal here:
