Kishwaukee Announces layoffs

Kishwaukee College board OKs more than 2 dozen layoffs

Published: Tuesday, March 8, 2016 10:44 p.m. CST

By RHONDA GILLESPIE - rgillespie@shawmedia.com

MALTA – Friday will be the last day for more than two dozen Kishwaukee College employees, after trustees voted unanimously to approve a layoff plan to help the college plug an anticipated budget shortfall.

“It’s a sad day,” said Robert Johnson, chairman of the board of trustees, after all eight trustees said yes Tuesday to the reduction plan. “It’s an unfortunate occurrence. I don’t think anything like this has ever happened at Kishwaukee College.”

The college announced last month that it planned to cut its work force for fiscal 2017 – which starts July 1 – because of declining enrollment and because the college only expects to receive half of the state aid it previously budgeted for.

College President Laurie Borowicz presented at the February board meeting a budget plan for fiscal 2017 that included a $3.8 million deficit. That includes a 50 percent reduction in general state aid, to $2.5 million. The college has not received any of the $5 million it expected in state aid payments this fiscal year.

“This is unprecedented,” Borowicz said at Tuesday’s meeting. She said legislators have predicted it could be January before schools such as Kishwaukee College receive any state aid.

In two days, the college will let go of one faculty member – who isn’t a classroom teacher and 11 support staff members. The nonunion workers to be laid off include 10 part-time workers. Also part of the cuts was Michele Bolden, who served as dean of workforce development and continuing education, and Mike Wackt, who was head of the college’s wellness center.

Borowicz said Bolden and Wackt left last month.

“This is hard. This is a sad night,” Borowicz said after Tuesday’s meeting. “Is it hitting home? Are we affecting people? Yes. ... I know how painful this process is.”

College spokeswoman Kayte Hamel said the layoffs would be effective Friday, but the 24 people affected would continue to get paychecks through June 30. The move, she said, was part of the commitment the college made last fall to not have job losses before the end of fiscal 2016.

The college expects to save $1 million with the layoffs and $1.1 million with not filling other vacant positions. The austerity plan also calls for working to increase revenues by $1.2 million, said Borowicz.

She told trustees at the February meeting that the college had projected a 6.5 percent decrease in enrollment this school year, but actually experienced an 8.8 percent one. That translated to a $275,000 loss in tuition and fees revenue.

Borowicz, who started in January, said the community college has already dipped into its savings, spending $4.4 million of the $6 million it had at the start of the fiscal year.

“It’s too bad the folks we sent to Springfield can’t figure out how to manage the state’s finances,” Johnson said.

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