SPSCC today announced it is recommending the closure of three academic programs—Paralegal, Culinary Arts, and Baking & Pastry Arts—as one of several budget reduction actions aimed at stabilizing the college’s short- and long-term finances.
The program closures are among several difficult actions the college is taking in response to rising costs, structural funding challenges, and ongoing cash flow disruptions. These actions include immediate cost-saving measures such as travel and hiring freezes and long-term measures like reductions in force (RIFs), layoffs, and program closures.
After reviewing internal and external program data with deans and program faculty, SPSCC determined that the Paralegal, Culinary Arts, and Baking & Pastry Arts programs face challenges related to employment demand, career outcomes, and long-term viability in the Thurston County region. Additional analysis of the Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts programs found that most local jobs in these fields do not require formal education credentials and do not give hiring or wage advantages for education.
“Students who enroll in our programs invest significant time and money toward their education. If the certificate or degree they’re earning does not create opportunities to thrive in our region, we owe it to our students to be transparent about that,” said SPSCC Vice President for Instruction Michelle Andreas.
All students currently enrolled in the programs will be able to complete their degree or certificate through a planned “teach-out” process, though no new students will be admitted.
“I know how difficult this is to read,” stated SPSCC President Timothy Stokes in an employee email. “Personnel decisions are always the heaviest burden we carry, and program closures carry their own deep impact. These decisions weigh on me deeply.”
The program closures and layoffs reflect structural funding challenges facing community colleges statewide, with a combination of continually declining state funding and rising operating costs and cash flow constraints. In recent years, tuition increases have not kept pace with growth in employee salaries, benefits, utilities, and other essential expenses, resulting in a budget increasingly dominated by fixed personnel costs, now totaling 83% of the college’s budget. At the same time, the timing of state funding no longer aligns with when expenses are incurred, creating recurring cash flow gaps early in the fiscal year.
“These challenges are especially painful because they are not the result of actions within our campus community,” Stokes said. “In fact, the extraordinary efforts of our faculty and staff have driven strong enrollment, improved student success, and allowed SPSCC to serve our region with distinction. The imbalance we are confronting stems from longstanding statewide funding structures that do not align with the real costs of operating a modern, student-ready community college.”
The college will provide additional updates on budget reductions and their impact as the year progresses.