RALEIGH: "The North Carolina Community College System could neither withstand nor absorb the impact of a three-percent across-the-board reduction to the 59 institutions and the System Office," said System President H. Martin Lancaster Friday morning. He spoke in reaction to suggestions made last night by Republican leaders in the General Assembly.

"At a time when North Carolina’s economy is suffering from the loss of jobs in textile and furniture manufacturing, a suppressed technology sector, and a decline in farming, the Community College System is the first line of recovery for those working adults losing jobs," Lancaster said.

President Lancaster noted preliminary registrations for the fall semester indicate that enrollments are at an all-time high, as the recent avalanche of layoffs and plant closings has sent displaced workers back to school.

Lancaster said the dollar loss to the colleges would be about $18.5 million but emphasized the fact that the impact in human capital, faculty and instructional support staff would be far greater.

He said estimates show that 392 full-time faculty and professional staff would lose their jobs. These are the people who teach the more than 760,000 students enrolling in North Carolina's community colleges, and their colleagues who provide counseling, financial aid support, and job placement, including services to workers who have just lost their jobs.

Reductions in the System Office budget, while smaller in actual dollars, would have significant impact across the state. The System Office provides technical and financial support to the colleges. Such activities as new and expanding industry support, information technology, and similar critical functions would be severely curtailed.

"It is the absolutely worst time to consider reducing community college budgets", Lancaster further noted. "College presidents, faulty and staff do not yet have a final operating budget for 2001-02, yet are currently scrambling to hire professionals and identify instructional space to meet the enrollment crunch. To undercut this effort with budget reductions at this time would send the worst kind of message."

Specific results of a three percent across-the-board reduction:

*  Significant reduction in the number of qualified personnel by the elimination of faculty and staff positions

*  Increased workloads and less schedule flexibility for remaining faculty and staff, resulting in a higher student/teacher ration and decreased support for student advising, learning centers and computer labs.

*  Less Effective Teaching due to limited purchases of instructional supplies, materials and equipment

*  Elimination of classes and reductions in the number of sections offered would leave students with fewer choices, prevent them from completing degree requirements, and ultimately delay graduation.

*  Enrollment declines will be inevitable because colleges will be unable to meet the needs of students currently enrolled, nor will they be able to continue student services, recruitment and outreach programs.

*  Reduction in workforce programs that meet the needs of the local community will forestall the opportunity for skills enhancement and re-training for the un- and under-employed.

*  Disabled and handicapped learners will be deprived of services that help them achieve the highest quality of life possible by the reduction in compensatory education programs.

*  The start up and expansion of programs will be hopeless.

*  Reduction in High School Student Programs will hamper the progress of high school students into job training and higher education.

-NCCCS-

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