EWC shares summary of budget efficiency plan

Decreasing enrollment, decreased tuition and fee revenues and a reduced allocation from the State are the leading factors that have contributed to Eastern Wyoming College’s current fiscal year $552,000 budget deficit and an annual shortfall of $912,000 for the next biennium which includes fiscal years 2016-2017 and 2017-2018.

The current year deficit, $552,000, was met with both targeted and across-the-board budget cuts that did not involve displacing personnel.

The anticipated annual shortfall of $912,000 was addressed with a budget efficiency plan which was developed by the President and his administrative team.  The plan addressed EWC as a whole which included budgets utilized by the main campus in Torrington and the branch campus in Douglas.

Budgetary adjustments and alignments will impact a small number of employee positions without eliminating academic programs or reducing direct services to students.  The College currently operates with 252 full and part-time employees.  Part of the budget efficiency plan included restructuring employee positions through workload distribution, and attrition.  Reduced position appointments and contract lengths were also utilized.  The net result was 4 employees notified that their positions would no longer be available after July 1, 2016.   Another 6 employees had positions which were reduced, modified or reassigned.

“This proposal was developed after many grueling hours of examination of efficiencies across our entire operation,” shared President Rick Patterson.  “I also wanted little to no impact to be felt by our students with these cuts.”

The bulk of the budget efficiency plan includes focused cuts to multiple departmental budgets across the college.  A revenue-generating component is another important part of the plan and it includes some new or increased course and lab fees, student fees, and service and use charges.

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