EVERETT – Flat enrollment and the changing makeup of students has left an $800,000 shortfall in Everett Community College’s budget.
The college will plug the hole without layoffs through a series of spending and hiring delays and $175,000 from a reserve account.
“It’s a belt-tightening and taking advantage of our position vacancies,” EvCC President Charlie Earl said. “People are being really good about not immediately filling jobs.”
The college has a $30 million budget this year.
Michael Kerns, EvCC’s vice president of administration, identified several causes for the deficit, including:
* Enrollment was flat when the college was expecting a modest increase this fall. The head count of full- and part-time students was a little more than 10,000, about 3 percent more than fall 2003, but about 1 percent less than projected.
* The college is making less than expected in tuition because of a drop of more than 300 worker-retraining students and an increase in students seeking high school diplomas and learning English as a second language. The retraining students received government and private grants that paid full tuition; adult basic education and English as a second language students pay $25 a quarter, along with state money.
* More students are taking heavier loads. The college receives less per credit for students taking more than 10 credits, but has to hire more instructors to meet the increased demand.
Earl said he believes enrollment will rebound quickly, with record high school graduation rates projected in the next few years
“I don’t know if it’s this year and the first part of next year, but now the demographic trend for the whole state peaks in 2008 and 2009,” he said.
The state Office of Financial Management has predicted the number of students graduating from high school will reach nearly 65,000 by 2009. By comparison, about 45,700 graduated from high school in 1991.
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