DALTON —
Dalton State College officials know the state budget cuts they planned for almost a month ago won’t be as deep as expected. What they don’t know is exactly which of the proposed cuts they’ll have to implement.
Officials’ plans for cutting $2.4 million from the college’s $15.4 million state budget in late February included a range of possibilities that went from laying off professors to eliminating programs and operating only four days a week during the summer. They’ve been told the cuts, which occurred in several rounds, could mean the budget for the upcoming year will be as low as $12.5 million.
College president John O. Schwenn now says, however, that it’s unlikely any degree programs will be cut. But he says there is a good possibility other actions — delaying the opening of a satellite campus at the Whitfield Career Academy, for example — could be taken to save money.
One proposal involves cutting out the Regents Testing Program for a possible savings of $70,000 per year. More than 1,200 students sign up for or take the exam in the spring semester alone, officials said. Students take the test, which is required to receive a bachelor’s degree, on campus free of charge. They would have to take the test through another institution if it’s eliminated at Dalton State.
Another area where costs will be continue to be cut is the college’s travel budget. During the last fiscal year, the college estimates it spent about $112,00 on travel from its roughly $24 million general budget, said Scott Bailey, vice president for fiscal affairs.
For the current fiscal year, they’ve spent about $45,000 and expect to spend two-thirds less than what was spent the previous year. Much of the travel is for meetings mandated by the University System of Georgia and activities required by accrediting agencies, officials said. Some is also used to compensate faculty members who teach off-campus or supervise students in clinical or education settings.
Another possible $100,000 in savings would come from closing the Educational Technology Center located on campus. Operated by the Georgia Department of Education, the center provides some technical assistance to the college’s School of Education, and education students have direct access to the teaching technology being considered for use in K-12 schools.
Vice president for Academic Affairs John Hutcheson said officials have also discussed offering only a flat rate of pay for summer school teachers, potentially saving $100,000, but the rate hasn’t been decided.
“It will probably be based on what we pay part-time teachers with the same certifications, but at a slightly higher level,” Hutcheson said.
A part-time teacher with a master’s degree who teaches a three-credit hour course receives $1,800 for the semester, while someone who holds a doctorate degree is paid about $2,500 per semester.
Hutcheson said officials won’t make any decisions on how to decrease the number of new library acquisitions, possibly saving $150,000, until the move becomes necessary.
Like many companies, another area of possible cost savings is in employee health insurance.
Bailey said officials won’t know until next fall how much health insurance will go up if the college decides to implement a plan to make employees switch to a highest deductible plan.
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Proposed cuts at Dalton State College
Possible cuts and cost savings at Dalton State College, as submitted to the Senate Higher Education Appropriations Committee in late February. None of these cuts have been approved and are subject to change.
• Close Educational Technology Center, $100,000
• Discontinue Regents testing, $70,000
• Delay opening facility at Whitfield Career Academy by one year, $150,000
• Cap enrollment at 5,800, $375,000
• Drastically reduce First Year Experience program, $50,000
• Employees move to high deductible insurance plan, $400,000
• Stop using mandatory state contracts (buy local at a lower cost), $50,000
• Close two full weeks at Winter Break, $40,000
• Offer flat rate for teaching summer school, $100,000
• Campus will operate four days a week, 10 hours a day and reduce library hours during summer term, $60,000
• Decrease library acquisitions, $150,000
• Cease travel (except for mandatory meetings), $50,000
• Four more furlough days, $300,000
• Discontinue some academic support services (career services, counseling, tutoring), $75,000
• Plant operation cuts, $100,000
• Eliminate two instructor positions by deferring vacant faculty, $120,000
• Discontinue/reduce size of some academic programs (e.g. Social Work, Marketing and Management in the School of Technology or Office Administration). This will hinge on the university system declaring financial exigency (similar to bankruptcy). $300,000
• Do not replace the equivalent of 28 full time faculty members, $1,175,000
• Do not replace 16 staff, $800,000
• Eliminate Regents Test and associated programs, $350,000
• Eliminate Steps-to-College Summer Program, $150,000
• Eliminate swimming programs at the Oakwood Campus, $100,000
• Eliminate institutional funding for student work study leaving only federal work study for qualifying students, $200,000
• Reduce utility expenses through conservation efforts and other maintenance and operations reductions, $345,000
• Reduce faculty and staff travel budgets, $200,000
• Reduce operational expenses in areas of mailing, copiers, testing materials, $50,465
• Total: $3,370,465
Note: Itemized cuts are what would be implemented in a worst-case scenario. They do not factor in tuition increases or other sources of revenue that could become available if lawmakers pass more taxes and decided that less money needs to be cut from the higher education state budget.
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