JOHNSON, VT – Five full-time administrative and service positions have been cut at Johnson State College and eight others have been have been scaled back as part of a plan to address a projected $1.5 million gap in the college’s budget for fiscal year 2015, which begins July 1, 2014.

The reductions will save the college approximately $450,000 in salaries and benefits next year. In making the adjustments, the college was guided by the goal of ensuring uninterrupted academic programming and student services.

 “We do not make these reductions lightly,” said JSC President Barbara E. Murphy. “They are painful and difficult, and we are grateful for the contributions of all those affected. Yet they are part of an adjustment a responsible college has to make on occasion: realigning resources and investing in future needs in order to position Johnson State College, and our students, for a successful future.”

She added that the reductions are in response to a dip in enrollment and flat support from the state of Vermont. “We are not alone in this, of course — colleges throughout Vermont and the nation are facing similar challenges – but the fact that Vermont ranks 49th in the U.S. in state appropriations for higher education certainly exacerbates the situation we face.” 

Earlier this year, Governor Shumlin proposed what amounted to a 1 percent increase in the appropriation for higher education, but the legislature approved a budget cutting that increase in half, to just 0.5 percent, essentially maintaining support at 2008 levels. Vermont State Colleges Chancellor Tim Donovan has noted that Vermont is so far behind in its support of higher education that a 50 percent increase in funding would move Vermont only from 49th to 47th place, and doubling it would move the state to 30th place.

In addition to the five positions eliminated at JSC, seven have been scaled back to 80 percent of full time, and another has been converted to half time. 

“For our colleagues whose positions are affected by these changes, I know this is painful and difficult. Our people are key to what makes Johnson State College an accessible and welcoming community. Yet we have the reality of a significant budget gap to address, and this is necessarily part of the solution,” Murphy wrote in a letter to staff and faculty informing them of the reductions.

“These changes come at a point in the year when we must not lose sight of the celebration that awaits us May 17th, when we will graduate close to 400 students,” she concluded, adding that work continues to address the remaining budget shortfall through a combination of revenue-generating initiatives and cuts in non-essential expenses.