Lethbridge College has balanced its budget, but crunching the numbers has come at a hefty cost.
The institution announced late Tuesday afternoon it will lay off 12 full-time staff members, while also making programming cuts.
The College isn’t saying exactly who those staff members are, but confirms a quarter of the layoffs are due to closure of rural campuses in Fort Macleod and Pincher Creek.
The bulk of the others come in direct relation to program reductions going forward. Administration has decided to suspend intake to the Office Administration diploma as well as the Fashion Design & Marketing diploma.
In addition to the 12 lay offs, other staff impacts include a zero per cent cost of living adjustment for many employees.
College officials told Global News on Tuesday the school explored all options.
“Our College leadership council looked at everything, investigated every little piece before making these decisions,” said Gwen Wirth, a college spokesperson. “At the base of it, it is people’s lives being affected.”
“They took all of that into consideration before making these decisions.”
Lethbridge College, along with all post-secondary institutions in Alberta, was faced with a 7.3 per cent reduction in operating grants, which is roughly a $3-million hit to an overall operating budget of $82-million.
“Decisions of this nature are always difficult and this does have a significant impact on our institution,” said Dr. Paula Burns, Lethbridge College President & CEO in a media release. “Although we appreciate the challenges the province is facing. We also know that our financial stability depends on our ability to diversify our revenue sources.”
Program rollbacks are expected to impact 20-40 students. The programs were chosen due to low enrollment numbers.
“Students will be able to make up courses through another institution,” said Wirth. “We’ll do whatever it takes to facilitate that for them.”
The institution is believes other staff reductions will have to be made, through no decisions have been made yet.
Administration is expected to address the cuts some time on Wednesday.
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