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Leaders Disapprove of Merger for Small Community Colleges in NC
New Bern, NC – A cost-saving proposal that would merge some work for smaller community colleges is meeting opposition. Jared Brumbaugh has more.
The General Assembly's Program Evaluation Division released a report June 28th that proposes merging 15 small, rural campuses with larger community colleges in a 30-mile radius. Schools with fewer than 3,000 full-time students would loose their separate presidents, payroll departments, and other administrative functions. While the recommendation is meant to save money, the Community College System President says it will do very little to make up a 115 million dollar state funding deficit. Scott Ralls says the merger would save $5 million dollars a year.
"so not even 5 percent of the cuts we experienced this year. In the context of this particular recommendation, it would be a very significant change to our system for, in context, fewer savings."
The Program Evaluation Division says the merger idea does not close any campuses, and will save nearly $30 million dollars over six years. Twenty of the state's 58 community colleges already run multiple campuses. Jared Brumbaugh, Public Radio East.