The KCTCS Board of Regents has anticipated and planned for a potential 4.5 percent state appropriation cut since the governor announced his budget proposals in January,” said KCTCS President Jay Box. “With three-fourths of the current budget year completed, it would be impossible for the colleges and other KCTCS operating units to balance their budgets without having access to emergency funds.”

Southcentral Kentucky Community & Technical College (SKYCTC) is one of the 16 Kentucky Community &Technical System colleges. SKYCTC has three campuses in Bowling Green, two in Glasgow and one in Franklin.

At its March meeting, the Board authorized moving nearly $8.6 million from the budget emergency fund into the operating budgets of the colleges, systemwide operations and support programs to address the potential cut in the 2015-16 budget. The budget reserve was established by the Board several years ago to maintain KCTCS operations on a one-time, non-recurring basis in the event of an emergency.

“We have been prudent over the years with our budget by setting aside funds for extreme emergencies, such as natural disasters,” KCTCS Board of Regents Chair Marcia Roth said. “Unfortunately, the timing of this cut during the fourth quarter of our budget year left us with no other option than to use these funds. Our priority is always to put our students and hardworking faculty and staff first. The use of these funds is a short-term, one-time measure for this serious situation.”

KCTCS is Kentucky’s most efficient and productive postsecondary education institution. KCTCS has instituted multiple cost-savings measures over the last seven years, including eliminating 262 positions in 2015. The top priority, in the face of the Governor’s cut to the current KCTCS state appropriation, is to affect the least number of students and hardworking faculty and staff. There are nearly 8,000 employees across the state living in all 120 counties who will be affected by these additional cuts.

These deep cuts on top of the cuts received over the last seven years, and a tuition shortfall due to declining enrollment, mean people will lose jobs and programs will be eliminated. KCTCS is also the only public, postsecondary institution that froze tuition this year, and we continue to be the most affordable.

However, this cut to the state appropriation will increase the need to raise tuition, which directly impact the thousands of students who access higher education through the 16 colleges.