WESSON – Budget-cutting measures and a $100 a semester tuitionincrease will help Copiah-Lincoln Community College absorb a statefunding reduction while also allowing small pay raises for staffand instructors , President Dr. Howell Garner said Friday.

During the recently-ended 2004 legislative session, statecommunity colleges received a 4 percent across the board reductionin funding below current levels, Garner said. That amounted to $6.1million and Co-Lin’s share of that total was $163,382.

Citing State Board of Community and Junior College totals,Garner said Co-Lin had been expected to lose between $250,000 and$300,000 under an old formula that based funding on studentenrollment.

“We fared a little better than we might have in that regard,”Garner said.

Garner explained that the previous formula based totals onfull-time students. Now, the formula evaluates full-timeequivalency, which also factors in part-time and other categoriesof students.

“Bottom line, Co-Lin picked up a few more part-time studentsthan many across the state,” Garner said.

Nevertheless, the funding reduction created some challenges forschool officials in preparing their $17.7 million budget for thenew year that starts July 1.

In addition to lower funds, Garner said school officials had tofactor in an estimated $350,000 more for operational expenses.

“We realized a good while back we were going to have increasesin insurance, utilities and other things,” said Garner, citing thenew Instructional Technology Building scheduled to open in the falland higher expenses elsewhere.

Garner stressed that there would be no pink slips due to thebudget. However, there will remain 13 open faculty positions thatcollege officials have no intention of filling.

Since 2000, Garner said the school has had up to 19 openpositions, some of which had to be filled out of necessity. Hementioned four positions that are expected to be filledshortly.

“If they’re not filled, we can’t accommodate students in theclassroom,” Garner said.

Garner said some full-time faculty members are teaching overloadschedules. He also said the school has a number of part-timeinstructors who are filling class needs.

Due to accreditation issues, school officials are being carefulabout overload and part-time faculty staffing, Garner said.

“We’re not nearly to the point of having a problem with that,but we don’t want to get there either,” he said.

On the positive side for faculty and staff, Garner said theschool will be able to give pay raises. Since 2000, he said facultyhad only received step increases totaling about 3 percent, or$1,500.

This year, with a step increase and an adjustment to the salaryscale, Garner said faculty will get about $1,000, or 2.67 percent.He said a similar percentage was applied to staff, with adjustmentsmade to avoid widening the gap between higher-salaried staffmembers and those on the lower end of the scale.

Beginning in the fall, Co-Lin students will be paying $100 moreper semester. With legislative uncertainty at the time, trusteesrecently authorized the administration to increase tuition tooffset funding reductions.

“It took $100 to get us back up,” Garner said.

The hike raises tuition to $800 per semester, plus a $50technology fee. Garner said the $850 total is in line with othercommunity colleges, which have or are also expected to raise theirtuition.

Among cost-cutting measures, Garner said out of state travelexpenses have been reduced by 40 percent. He said out of statetravel expenses will have to be justified and receive his personalapproval.

Garner acknowledged that school officials have no control oversome expenses, like those related to accreditation. He also saidtravel for sporting event playoffs or student group competitions,like Phi Theta Kappa and VICA, would be accommodated.

“That out of state travel will not be bothered,” Garner said,mentioning board of trustees support for such endeavors. “They puta premium on doing things for students and making sure they aretaken care of.”

Garner said a purchasing freeze also remains in effect.

“We don’t buy anything we don’t have to have,” Garner said.

At their May meeting, trustees authorized the administration todevelop a budget after state funding levels were determined. Garnersaid trustees can act to ratify the budget at their Junemeeting.