AUBURN — The board of trustees at Cayuga Community College on Monday night voted 6 to 3 to accept agreements with the school’s four unions that balance its operating budget and prevent layoffs.
The college has been working to cut about $1.5 million from its operating budget of more than $32.36 million before the end of the fiscal year on Aug. 31.
The budget slashing is necessary to make up for an “unexpected” five percent enrollment decrease, Cayuga Community College (CCC) said in a news release.
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Three unions, including maintenance and custodial, educational-support professionals, and the administrative-professionals group, agreed to accept unpaid-furlough days, ranging in numbers from two to 10 days, based on bargaining units and salary levels, CCC said.
Lower-paid employees will take fewer days than those making more money, but on average, it will cost employees nearly four percent of their salaries.
The school will spread out the salary reductions over the remaining pay periods through Aug. 31. Cayuga Community College will pay the money back to employees beginning in 2015-16, the school said.
Faculty Association members voted last Friday to accept a proposal of a four percent wage-concession equivalent, which the school will repay to faculty members over several years, beginning in the 2015-2016 fiscal year.
College administrators have been working with unions over the past several months to develop proposals that would avoid layoffs and find the savings necessary to make-up the budget shortfalls, CCC said.
Senior leaders and budget managers last fall identified more than $778,000 in savings through employee retirements, operating-budget reductions, cuts to travel, and reductions in part-time employee hours.
Managerial and confidential employees, executive staff, and the president earlier this spring accepted furlough days and helped bring budgetary savings over the $817,000 mark, according to CCC.
The agreements with the remaining employee unions will help close the budget gap for this year, the school said.
Several factors contributed to the budget shortfall at CCC, including lower-than-projected enrollment, student-retention issues, stagnant state aid and local funding, and increased fixed costs for the college, the school said.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
