CR lays off its staff, and freezes hiring
Police chief position among those eliminated
A handful of administrative and staff positions at College of the Redwoods will be eliminated before the start of the 2020-21 academic year, President Dr. Keith Flamer informed campus personnel via email Tuesday morning.
The cuts are in response to the community college’s budget shortfall, largely due to the ongoing economic impacts of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
“I sincerely regret that the restructuring will affect several staff members who presently work in Counseling, EOPS, Residential Life, Human Resources, Community Education, and the Bookstore,” Flamer wrote. “In
tandem with these changes, I am eliminating several positions in 2020-21, including the Director of Human Resources, Account Clerk III in the Business Office, Dean of Students and Community Relations, the Police Chief, and the Police Officer.”
Flamer said 85 percent of the college’s general fund pays salaries and benefits, and that it would “be impossible to achieve the necessary savings in our general
and categorical budgets without affecting jobs.”
He added that hiring is frozen for many positions and discretionary spending is halted. He cited essential services as one exemption from the hiring freeze.
Reached by phone Tuesday morning, Flamer told the Times-Standard the college is prioritizing academics amid its restructuring process.
“The focus here wasn’t just to preserve what we offer academically, (but to ensure) that students do not see a difference,” Flamer said.
The college was facing a $1.3 million deficit due to decreased state funding before the impact of COVID-19 was calculated.
The president referenced a May 7 Politico article that outlined the state’s budget woes and states K-12 schools and community colleges could lose $18 billion.
But Flamer is not waiting for the final state budget.
“I believe that is prudent that we not wait until the state finalizes its budget in August before taking focused and prudent steps to reduce our expenditures,” he said.