Georgia Perimeter: Program cuts, furloughs, restrictions on courses and larger classes
The public colleges sent in their plans today to cut millions from their budgets. Here is the note that Georgia Perimeter President Anthony Tricoli just sent out to his staff outlining his proposals to shave $10 million from the budget, including larger classes, limits on who can take higher level classes, furloughs and freezing positions.
Dear Colleagues:
Georgia Perimeter President Anthony Tricoli notified staff today of $10 million in proposed cuts
I wanted you to hear this from me first.
Last Thursday I asked for input from the college community regarding a potential budget reduction of $10 million. We received almost 300 very detailed and thoughtful responses from faculty, staff, and students. I deeply appreciate your participation in this very important process.
Identifying $10 million to reduce from GPC’s budget in two days was not an easy task. Many of your suggestions were very helpful and assisted us in spurring other ideas. The items we did submit are those which we believe would have the least impact on the greatest number of individuals. Unfortunately, our preliminary list did include serious impact on two programs for consideration including ESL, and Fire Management, and to lesser degree of impact on programs via restricting upper level courses to majors. If we are not held to the ten million dollar reduction level, we have agreed to reconsider the reduction of these programs.
We also discussed other ways in which these courses and programs can continue via other methods of offering. Several other areas were impacted in this ten million dollar reduction, these include increasing our average class size; two furlough days for all employees; reduction of part-time, overtime and student assistant compensation; freezing of 50 non-faculty positions with the exception of safety positions; workload increase until we get through this tough fiscal time; and operating cost reductions across the college.
Please keep in mind that we are scheduled to receive our allocation from the USG on or about April 21st. So, I will be able to give you a more accurate and conclusive listing of our final budget reductions on or about that date. We are of course hoping that the total reduction requested of the USG by the legislature will be less than the $300 million suggested last week. However many factors will feed the final decision of the legislature. I promise to provide you with updates as I am made aware of such updates.
If things change fiscally for the state, we will amend this plan accordingly. We hope for better budget news, but for the time being, this is our plan. I deeply appreciate your work and your suggestions on this very difficult issue before us.
I’ll see you soon.
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124 comments Add your comment
the prof
March 1st, 2010
1:51 pm
It’s OK….I just give up. My personal plans include…no office hours, limited access at all to students outside the lecture hall, any furlough days will be instructional days, pursuing contracts rather than grants so that you will not get my overheads, resigning from any possible committee, zero community service…..
Think I’m kidding…..
DeKalb Conservative
March 1st, 2010
1:55 pm
@ the prof
Judging by your response, it already sounded like you used alot of scantron instead of manually correcting exams.
How would you have done it differently? Is this outcome better or worse than to be given a pink slip?
Jim
March 1st, 2010
2:05 pm
What’s impact on ESL program? Does GPC just cut the whole program? Currently, ESL program have some of the best students in GPC. I know many kids who enrolled GPC ESL program went on transferring to Ga Tech and UGA.
Triage surgeon operating with no instruments
March 1st, 2010
2:11 pm
Thank you, Governor Perdue and the Georgia State Legislature. Thank yo. Hope those horses enjoy their new digs in Perry. Hell, it only cost Georgia’s education system. What a great deal for the people of this fine state!
RK
March 1st, 2010
2:13 pm
Meanwhile, let’s make sure we spend $9 million for horses! http://www.ajc.com/news/extras-in-a-lean-337443.html
Concerned Citizen
March 1st, 2010
2:14 pm
Dear DeKalb Conservative—yes any work is better than a pink slip but many of the college faculty/staff will be getting pink slips. At the same time you need to look at some of the line items that the Gov is keeping in the budget—ridiculous! Check out this AJC article http://www.ajc.com/news/extras-in-a-lean-337443.html
JacketFan
March 1st, 2010
2:15 pm
@the prof: how is punishing your students doing anything proactive? They didn’t ask for this either. Committee work, grant writing – okay, I get it. But closing off access to your students is not a mature reaction to this situation. We’re the last hope they’ve got.
KnowledgeDog
March 1st, 2010
2:16 pm
What horses in Perry?
JacketFan
March 1st, 2010
2:21 pm
@KnowledgeDog – read the story RK linked to. I think that’s what “triage” is getting at (and, yes, I just ended a sentence with a preposition …).
Maureen Downey
March 1st, 2010
2:23 pm
@KnowledgeDOG, From the AJC this weekend:
You Asked
March 1st, 2010
2:26 pm
Dr. Tricoli is a great proponent of involving his employees in improving the University. “I wanted you to hear this from me first” and “Many of your suggestions were very helpful and assisted us in spurring other ideas.” are examples of his leadership style. Under his direction GPC has grown faster than any other Georgia college and is rapidly gaining a fine reputation.
I hope our legislature looks forward enough to see the value of continuing to support higher education and rewards the state leaders who proactively seek to improve their organizations (be they colleges or other state agencies) instead of punishing the best by requiring accross the board custs with no regard to how well run an institution is.
As for the professor who wants to cut office hours and pout because he’s been asked to take 2 furlough days… the rest of us state employees have been asked to take 6 furlough days this year minimum. You are making us look bad with your whining. I’d prefer if you packed your bags and found your perfect job in another state instead of complaining about how bad you have it here in Georgia.
Cutty
March 1st, 2010
2:30 pm
Have those ‘fiscal conservatives’ done enough yet to show they have no use for you other than your vote? Say what you want about dems, but republicans claim the banner of fiscal responsibility until they’re elected.
wsj
March 1st, 2010
2:31 pm
Now now guys. Don’t you know that the horse show industry is what will bring the Georgia economy out of recession! The Gov is demonstrating real economic acumen by investing in future industries.
hotlanta
March 1st, 2010
2:38 pm
If MARTA and the state of Georgia wants to move forward we got to get rid of Perdue. Perude get over it President Obama is here and you acting like a spoiled brat. 9 million for a horse farm and nothing for MARTA. PRICELESS
Gabriela
March 1st, 2010
2:45 pm
Sometimes it’s really hard to be from GA; today is one of those days:
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2009/03/24/truck_seat_belt.html
http://www.ajc.com/news/extras-in-a-lean-337443.html
http://ofalr.com/?p=162
I’d LOVE to figure out when Legislators forgot they were elected to serve the needs of the people, not their own needs. I’d plan a late funeral for that day in history.
I hope they teach the horses to read, we’ll need them to run the state in 15 more years.
Lulu
March 1st, 2010
2:46 pm
What a joke our Governor and legislature are! With GA already at the bottom of the education barrel, we are slicing even more out of their budgets. I am sure there are 1000’s of bureaucrats in state government that need to go before we ruin education even more. But of course, we despareately need a horse park in Sonny’s home county!
Fred
March 1st, 2010
2:49 pm
While tenure is a good thing as it allows professors to pursue areas of interest and take positions that might be contrary to what the administration prefers, @the prof demostrated the problems with it. The actions he outlines hurt the very people he or she is there to serve. Actions such as these outside of academia will get you fired. While @the prof may not be in a tenured position, he or she exhibits a mindset that permeates higher education in many instances.
It would be much better to speak out against the proposed budget to the people that can do something about it. Get organized and lobby the legislature. Do what you can to publicize the inequities. Work for the good instead of reacting with the bad. Use the education you worked for to improve the situation.
Jem
March 1st, 2010
2:50 pm
Across the board cuts are ridiculous. We need to be looking at each program, agency, and personnel to see where selected cuts can be made that will do the least amount of damage. However, our I.Q. challenged Governor and legislature don’t seem to get it.
sowhatwouldyoudo
March 1st, 2010
2:52 pm
@DeKalb Conservative
so, if your workload doubled and your pay went down, what would you do?
Oh, wait. I remember now. Cut taxes. that is the answer to all woes.
sowhatwouldyoudo
March 1st, 2010
2:55 pm
and jacketfan. more classes+more students=fewer office hours and less time to give students. my ga tech friends can do that type of math. oh, wait. i forgot again. Cut Taxes!
Ken
March 1st, 2010
3:05 pm
Faculty at Georgia two year Technical and Community Colleges do NOT get tenure.
“the prof” looks to be having a knee jerk reaction.
Hey, It's Enrico Pallazzo!
March 1st, 2010
3:06 pm
@sowhatwouldyoudo
Cutting taxes is only a marketing ploy. If the Rs really wanted to eliminate taxes, they would make them unconstitutional. That would mean that there are no taxes. No money to fund an army, no money to fund the police or fire department. Everyone would have to contract their own law enforcement, their own fire protection, their own national security, their own court. WE would have no reciprical agreements with other states unless explicitly stated. Wouldn’t life be wonderful. (sarcasm)
DeKalb Conservative
March 1st, 2010
3:14 pm
@ sowhatwouldyoudo
If I was in that situation I’d probably go along with it and start looking for other teaching jobs. That’s the beauty of our system is that if you don’t like something you don’t have to work in it. You always have the option of resetting your living standards to take something with different pay levels and challenges.
I’m fairly certain there is at least 5 people that would love the prof’s job.
Cutting, or raising taxes has nothing to do with this. If your workload doubles and your pay goes down, you have a gut decision to make. You can either 1) stay, 2) stay and look at other jobs 3) quit.
Concerned citizen
March 1st, 2010
3:19 pm
Interesting approach to balancing the budget. Cut the ESL program which deals with the burgeoning immigrant and refugee population and fire safety which will limit the training of first responders. There was no mention of cuts in the salaries of the top administrators including the President. It seems that in the case of the ESL program it was targeted because it has the students with the least amount of political clout. GPC in Clarkston is in a community noted for being the home of many refugees who sought freedom in our country. Now their ability to gain the necessary language skills to make them productive citizens is put in danger. What a shame!
The Tar and Feathers Party
March 1st, 2010
3:29 pm
Is it too late to get the 100 million Medicaid dollars back that Roy Barnes gave to his out of state law buddies via contingency contract, unapproved and not reviewed by the House or Senate, way back in the dark old days when a stinking King ruled Ga, imho? How about the ten or so million that went to Atlantic Station that was stolen from the Georgia 400 Toll Road Fund, imho? I am no fan of Sonny, but he is small potatoes in the misappropriation, appearance of misappropriation, and out right theft of State funds by private organizations via their fully owned and operated guv, imho. If any former guv deserves to be tarred and feathered, you can just guess as to who gits mah vote.
Wait. Huh?
March 1st, 2010
3:29 pm
@Dekalb Conservative
2) What jobs in the education sector in GA would those be? Are they sprinkled with fairy dust & do they live in NeverNeverLand?
They do not appear here, so I’ll need your map!
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/job-search?kw=College&locations=Atlanta%2C+GA&country=USA&industry=OTH
theotherprof
March 1st, 2010
3:33 pm
Please don’t listen to the prof. She/he doesn’t represent even a .01% of the faculty at GPC.
I’m also a GPC faculty member, and in the face of these cuts I’m going to continue doing an excellent job and going above and beyond for my students (and my school). I think most of the faculty/staff are. In the meantime, I’m going to hope that our legislators understand the damage they’re doing to the future of the state of Georgia and reconsider their actions.
Mr. Holmes
March 1st, 2010
3:35 pm
It is time to face a difficult (for some) reality: Taxes will have to be raised. The U.S. system of higher education is as responsible as any other facet of society for our country having led the world economically and technologically for much of the 20th century. Gutting that system is a surefire way to ENSURE we continue to lose pace to (and eventually fall behind, perhaps far behind) the Indias and Chinas of the world.
Taxes are lower in this country than in just about any of “peer” nations, and what’s more they’re at their lowest point in more than 30 years. We cannot maintain the fiction any longer that we can be the country we once were and not have to pay for it.
DeKalb Conservative
March 1st, 2010
3:47 pm
@ Wait. Huh?
Who said they had to be in GA? Sell the house and pack up the kids, the job search just expanded 1,000+ miles!!
We each have our breaking point as to what we won’t do for a certain amount of money. Doesn’t matter what your profession is. If you don’t like the alternative (more work & less pay), then you’re free to find a different job that suits your needs.
you go
March 1st, 2010
3:48 pm
Mr. Holmes…well said
You Asked
March 1st, 2010
3:48 pm
Theotherprof-
Thank you for your dedication. It is educators like yourself that make GPC an attractive option for college bound students. I’ve recommended my own kids look into it when it is time. The teachers are there to educate (unlike some research institutions) and the reciprocity with the major universities makes a start at GPC and other 2-year institutions in Georgia very attractive and affordable. Kudos!
Wait. Huh?
March 1st, 2010
3:48 pm
HAHAH! Do you wanna buy my house? And then pay off my mortgage company since I am upside down? If yes, please send money now! I’ll be on the first train out!
Wait. Huh?
March 1st, 2010
3:50 pm
@ Dekalb:
It’s not more work, less pay I am allergic to– I’ve already had 8 furlough days this fiscal year like most of the USG, it’s the whole “no work” due to more budget cuts that have us in a tailspin.
you go
March 1st, 2010
3:51 pm
Dekalb Conservative….what planet are you living on? With unemployment and underemployment pushing 25% I do not see lots of jobs just falling out of the sky. Even if you are willing to move, jobs are scarce or nonexistent evrywhere in this country.
you go
March 1st, 2010
3:54 pm
GA legislature says If I am trying to revive an economy that is 80% consumer spending, I should put people out of jobs or give them furlough days so they have less money to spend. That makes a whole lot of sense (not)
You Asked
March 1st, 2010
3:58 pm
DeKalb Conservative
Our Professors and State Employees picking up and leaving is exactly what we should be worried about. The cost of living in Georgia has attracted lots of competent people but we wont keep them if private industry or government jobs elsewhere are paying more for reasonable amounts of work.
The next recovery cycle will reveal a lot about how the Legislature treats government employees. If you want Georgia to stay healthy and competative there will need to be some investment in the state infrastructure. We’re hurting like the rest of the country and state workers are taking furloughs and cutting budgets, but we are in a better position than most large states. We’re also providing top of the line service (according to the PEW institute on government we’re one of the best managed states in the nation).
I’m a fiscal conservative and I’m all for eliminating waste from government but anyone who has ever undergone budget cuts in the private sector knows taking an across the board head chopping meaure hurts productivity and efficiency in the long run as the most talented jump ship first.
you go
March 1st, 2010
4:04 pm
you asked…excellent points
Yet Another Prof
March 1st, 2010
4:05 pm
@DeKalb:
Don’t be surprised if a lot of USG faculty are starting to look around for other options. The best and the brightest will find new positions in other universities in states that value higher education. The best and the brightest young applicants will never look at settling down in Georgia. That’s one reason that these short-sighted actions by the BoR and the Legislature are so horrific – they’re mortgaging the future in order to save face today; we will be feeling the ramifications of these cuts for years or possibly decades. Or perhaps I shouldn’t say “we”, because I’m going to have to start checking the open faculty positions elsewhere for my own sake pretty soon…
from Sen. Doug Stoner
March 1st, 2010
4:10 pm
for the public school teachers–
Teacher pay proposal another attack on public schools
By Sen. Doug Stoner
Senate Bill 386, under consideration in the Senate Education & Youth Committee, would impose a so-called “merit pay” system for Georgia’s public school teachers and administrators that would be largely tied to students’ scores on standardized tests, rather than each educator’s level of experience.
The past eight years have been difficult enough for Georgia’s public schools. Now, in his final year in office, Gov. Sonny Perdue has come up with another plan that won’t help the education of our students. While student achievement is – and should be – the ultimate goal of our school system, connecting standardized test scores to teachers’ and administrators’ paychecks is not the way to reach that goal and could, in fact, have an adverse effect.
Standardized testing is only one means of measuring academic success and is not necessarily the most reliable. It is an even less reliable method of evaluating the performance of teachers, because there is nothing “standard” about the classroom resources, academic programs or socioeconomic conditions that exist from one school system to another.
The reliance by government on “common evaluation instruments” and standardized test scores has already led to charges of educators being encouraged to specifically “teach to the test” rather than providing a broader learning experience that our students will need for success in life. Even worse, dishonesty in the reporting of test scores has already been alleged in some school systems here in the metro Atlanta area. Bringing teacher pay into the equation would likely encourage even more cheating.
“Pay for performance” is promoted by its supporters as a vehicle for increased accountability in our public schools, and there is certainly nothing wrong with accountability. But when it comes to student achievement, there is plenty of accountability that goes beyond the efforts of our teachers in the classroom. In addition to holding our educators on the front lines accountable, we must also measure the performance of parents, school board members, state legislators and, yes, our governor.
Constitutionally, public education is the responsibility of state government. Yet over the last eight years, Gov. Perdue and the legislative majority have shirked most of that responsibility through budget cuts, higher class sizes, unfunded mandates, increased paperwork, teacher furloughs and shifting the tax burden to the local level. Why should our teachers be the only ones who are consistently told to do more with less?
Gov. Perdue proposed slashing another $299 million from K-12 education funding in his fiscal year 2010 supplemental budget proposal. The Legislature has reduced that number to $281 million, but it stills brings the total school cuts for this year to $692 million. Educators, like other state employees, must take three more unpaid furlough days between now and June 30.
At the beginning of the legislative session, state School Superintendent Kathy Cox told lawmakers that some 35 local school systems across the state are near the financial breaking point. Those school boards must decide whether to make payroll or keep up bond payments on school buildings. Superintendent Cox said more education cuts will have a devastating effect on many more school systems that are “teetering on the edge.” She warned that some systems are already in the red. This leaves local school boards with no choice but to expand class sizes up to 40 students or increase local property taxes, or both.
Reducing government spending is to be expected in theses unprecedented economic times. But when it comes to reducing the funding of public education, this governor proposed drastic Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding cuts in seven out of his eight years in office – whether economic times were good or bad. The only year he did not was 2006, when he was running for re-election.
This administration’s eight-year reduction in QBE funding totals around $2.3 billion, not only hurting our students but shifting the burden to the local level where property owners are forced to make up the difference. The majority of school districts across the state have had to raise property taxes because of the cuts in QBE funding from the state. The governor calls these “austerity cuts,” but what is austere or fiscally responsible about merely shifting the tax burden from one level of government to another?
The Perdue administration’s misguided education policies do not stop with QBE funding cuts. The governor has also attempted to eliminate state funding for school nurses and bonus pay for teachers earning national certification. Meanwhile, as public school funding is slashed to the bone, the governor and the legislative majority passed a $50 million tax break for private schools and repeatedly pushed for private school vouchers.
Now, on his way out of office, Gov. Perdue is proposing a teacher pay system tied to student test scores. It is the height of hypocrisy for the state government to demand higher test scores while pulling more state resources out of our schools year after year. SB 386 gets a failing grade.
Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna) represents the 6th District (south Cobb).
r
March 1st, 2010
4:47 pm
Who else wants to say these histrionics are just to gain legislators’ attention so that the cuts won’t be as deep?
Andrew G
March 1st, 2010
4:48 pm
Hay, the horse and pony show is not near as bad as that stupid “Go Fish” program. Over $22 million and counting. He needs take his fish budget back to the pond and lure up some reality. These are people’s jobs, not fish, not horses Sonny. Real PEOPLE! He fits the stereotype of his redneck name. Let’s hope we don’t get a governor named Jonboy next.
ELI
March 1st, 2010
5:14 pm
“Unfortunately, our preliminary list did include serious impact on two programs for consideration including ESL, and Fire Management, and to lesser degree of impact on programs via restricting upper level courses to majors. If we are not held to the ten million dollar reduction level, we have agreed to reconsider the reduction of these programs.
We also discussed other ways in which these courses and programs can continue via other methods of offering. Several other areas were impacted in this ten million dollar reduction, these include increasing our average class size; two furlough days for all employees; reduction of part-time, overtime and student assistant compensation; freezing of 50 non-faculty positions with the exception of safety positions; workload increase until we get through this tough fiscal time; and operating cost reductions across the college.”
Part-Timers and/or Student Assistants at GPC are traditionally low hourly wage earners. These categories of employees stand to take a potential triple hit to their incomes, (1) a reduction in compensation (2) two mandatory furlough days off(in addition to those mandated by the state) and (3) an astronomical raise in tuition. EVERY ONE should have been required to CARRY their share of the burden, as such, a reduction in compensation should have been required BY ALL GPC EMPLOYEES in MY humble opinion.
In taking this measure, GPC could have possible (1) Reinforced the importance, dedication, and sacrifice of ALL EMPLOYEES, (2) Exceeded the 10 million dollar budget cut expected of US (this would have been an exceptional feat) and (3) maintained the ESL and Fire Management programs currently being CUT.
Now, tell me again, how reducing the compensation for Georgia Perimeter College’s most under- payed employees AND cutting the most vital program FROM your HUGE, often-times, disadvantaged Foreign/International population JUST ?
ELI
bootney farnsworth
March 1st, 2010
5:34 pm
Tricoli could have started by getting rid of the stupid Atlanta Center.
the VP over it has already resigned, and the director is universally disliked. btw – its usually empty
he could have cancelled his celebration of excellence, and all the costs that will create.
he could have cancelled the MLK program, held off site every year, with at least one high dollar speaker per event
he could actually stop the travel for faculty, administrators, and the chosen politically connected staff.
what he could have done is near endless. what he’s chosen to do is near worthless
bootney farnsworth
March 1st, 2010
5:36 pm
@ DeKalb.
you’re making yourself look profoundly foolish talking about things you obviously have no clue about.
stop while you’re not too far behind.
bootney farnsworth
March 1st, 2010
5:39 pm
I don’t suppose Tricoli ever mentions he has the power to exempt
folks from these new hits
bootney farnsworth
March 1st, 2010
5:41 pm
BTW: GPC faculty DO get tenure.
sorry Ken, check your facts first
Save ESL
March 1st, 2010
5:43 pm
The president of GPC has stated that they looked for programs to cut that would impact the fewest students; however, how does that square with the ESL program that serves around 3000 students each semester? He also suggests alternative methods for continuing these offerings. In the case of ESL, that means through continuing education. That’s a non-starter. The continuing education program doesn’t exist at the college anymore, and even if it did, it could not serve the needs of ESL students. To eliminate the ESL program is very short-sighted. GPC likes to boast about its international student population and service to this growing part of the Georgia citizenry, but it’s the first program the college slates to be eliminated! It seems to me the college is trying to speak out of both sides of its mouth.
Maureen Downey
March 1st, 2010
5:44 pm
I think these are good questions. As the AJC reported two weeks ago, Georgia Perimeter just opened a new Atlanta Center for Civic Engagement & Service Learning and held a ceremony that featured Jimmy Carter. Is this a necessary new program at a time when class size is rising and class offerings are diminishing?
Maureen
bootney farnsworth
March 1st, 2010
5:44 pm
all I can figure is Sonny must actually be a democrat in deep cover.
he’s all but killed any chance the GOP will have another governor elected for at least 20 years.
bootney farnsworth
March 1st, 2010
5:46 pm
the fact the Atl Center will continue to exist in the face of near univeral internal oppostion shows just how much Tricoli “listened”
to suggestions.
however it is a good bet most folks just didn’t bother wasting their time giving input they knew would be ignored