Columbus State could eliminate jobs as part of GA’s mandated cuts. Here are the details
Dozens of Columbus State University jobs would be eliminated, and many employees would be required to take at least four days of furlough, if the University System of Georgia approves CSU’s proposed budget cuts.
Forty-eight CSU positions, comprising six employees and 42 vacancies, would be affected as part of the $6.3 million in spending reductions. CSU’s fiscal year 2020 budget is $118.2 million, so that amounts to 5.3% in cuts.
The preliminary plan is CSU’s portion of the mandated 14% spending reductions all state agencies must make for fiscal year 2021, which starts July 1.
The budget cuts are in reaction to the crashed economy resulting from the stay-at-home restrictions implemented to lessen the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). For example, the state’s tax revenue in April was 35.9% less than the same month last year, according to Gov. Brian Kemp’s office.
The Ledger-Enquirer obtained CSU’s preliminary plan through a request made to the USG under the Georgia Open Records Act.
USG legal counsel Josiah Heidt said in his email to the L-E, “Nothing will be final until a budget appropriation is approved by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor. That is expected to happen in June, as legislative leaders meet for the remainder of the 2020 legislative session and finalize the FY21 state budget.”
The six CSU positions filled by employees would be eliminated out of 821 full-time and 453 part-time employees. According to the preliminary plan, the filled positions proposed to be cut are:
- Three part-time in academic support
- Two part-time in academic instruction
- One full-time in enrollment services
“No final decision has been made on eliminating the six referenced or other positions,” CSU university relations director Greg Hudgison said in an email.
The 42 vacant positions would be eliminated out of 140 vacancies at CSU. According to the preliminary plan, the vacant positions proposed to be cut are:
- 12 in academic support
- Six in business and finance maintenance
- Six in business and finance support services
- Five in enrollment services
- Five in student services
- Three in offices of the president, general counsel and chief of staff
- Two in university advancement
- Two in university information systems
- One in business and finance administration
“We are strategically evaluating those positions,” Hudgison said. “When we get the actual budget in June, a determination will be made regarding filling those positions.”
CSU’s proposed budget cuts also include saving $1.5 million in furlough days, or unpaid time off. The preliminary plan doesn’t denote which CSU employees would be affected, and further details about the furloughs were not provided by CSU.
However, there is indication elsewhere of how furloughs would be distributed.
On May 7, the USG’s Board of Regents authorized its 26 institutions to submit proposed budget cuts that require furloughs for most employees. The length of the furlough is based on the salary. Those earning $33,475 or less won’t have to take any furlough days. Here are the requirements for the rest:
- Those earning $33,476-$58,756 must take four furlough days (1.5% pay cut) if they are 12-month employees or three furlough days (1.4% pay cut) if they are 10-month employees or nine-month employees (1.5% pay cut).
- Those earning $58,757-$98,999 must take eight furlough days if they are 12-month employees (3.1% pay cut), seven furlough days if they are 10-month employees (3.2% pay cut) or six furlough days if they are nine-month employees (3.1% pay cut).
- Those earning $99,000-$153,999 must take 12 furlough days (4.6% pay cut) if they are 12-month employees, 10 furlough days (4.6% pay cut) if they are 10-month employees or nine furlough days (4.6% pay cut) if they are nine-month employees.
- Those earning $154,000 or more must take 16 furlough days (6.2% pay cut) if they are 12-month employees, 13 furlough days (6% pay cut) if they are 10-month employees or 12 furlough days (6.2% pay cut) if they are nine-month employees.
- The chancellor and each institution president must take 26 furlough days (10% pay cut).
Most of the other proposed reductions in CSU’s preliminary plan are in operating and travel expenses.
Asked how CSU determined what to cut and what factors were involved, Hudgison said, “There is a Budget Reduction Work Group working with the office of the Vice President of Business and Finance to determine efficiencies and effective processes that might offer savings. Personnel decisions will be determined when we have hard numbers from the USG to work with in mid-June.”
Those decisions are based on “recommendations from Academic Affairs, Human Resources and from other stakeholders in the campus community,” Hudgison said. “All decisions will be measured against our core mission, which is to educate students.”
In a May 19 message posted on his blog, CSU president Chris Markwood said, “We need to plan for additional reductions resulting from enrollment and tuition challenges.”
The L-E reported in November that CSU’s fall 2019 semester enrollment of 7,877 students is a 2.5% decrease from last year. That follows CSU’s 4.5% drop from 2017 to 2018.
CSU had increased enrollment from 7,951 in 2008 to its record high of 8,452 in 2017.
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 1:57 PM.
