Via The Olympian
South Puget Sound Community College is recommending the closure of three academic programs and other cost-cutting measures to stabilize the two-year school’s short- and long-term finances, the college announced late Monday.
The Paralegal, Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts programs are recommended for closure, college officials said in a news release.
In addition to the recommendations, the college is also taking “immediate cost-saving measures” through travel and hiring freezes, as well as longer-term measures like layoffs.
If the recommended program closures go through it would result in around six or seven staff layoffs, college spokeswoman Kati Sagawa said Monday.
Layoffs also are expected across every division of the college, although that number is still to be determined, she said.
The college’s Board of Trustees is set to meet in March or April to make a decision on the programs recommended for closure, Sagawa said.
“The college will provide additional updates on budget reductions and their impact as the year progresses,” the news release reads.
Like a lot of organizations and local governments in Thurston County, SPSCC is dealing with higher expenses in the face of lower or unpredictable revenue.
“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,” a news release reads. “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.”
The college’s fiscal year runs between July 1 and June 30. SPSCC enrollment is around 8,000 full-time and part-time students. It costs about $4,000 per year to attend the college full-time, The Olympian has previously reported.
“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,” said college President Timothy Stokes in a statement.
Why recommend these programs for closure?
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, according to the college.
“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,” the news release reads.
“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 in a statement.
All students currently enrolled in the programs will be able to complete their degree or certificate through an arrangement called a “teach-out,” although no new students will be admitted.
“I know how difficult this is to read,” said President 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.”