Atlantic Cape Issues Layoff Notices, 24 Positions Will Be Involved

ATLANTIC CITY – Resolutions were approved by the Atlantic Cape Community College’s Board of Trustees, March 28, to issue layoff notices to 24 staff members.  
The action was taken to address a revenue shortfall due to declining enrollment, according to a release.
The board met at the Charles D. Worthington Campus in this city. Since reaching a peak in 2010, Atlantic Cape’s enrollment has steadily declined.
Through the past several years, college officials have worked to balance the financial impact of that declining student population through a strategic finance model “that emphasizes enhancement, cost avoidance, and cost management, according to President Dr. Barbara Gaba.
That action enabled the college to balance its budget.
Board Chair David Coskey stated, “The reductions that we are forced to consider are a result of declining population and enrollment in both counties over a period of years, and they are not taken lightly. The severity of our actions is exceeded only by the responsibility that we have to the stewardship for the overall good of this institution, its staff, faculty, and students.”
Positions that will be eliminated will include exempt, support and supervisory staff.
Adopt Budget, Set Tuition
At the same meeting, the board adopted the $37.15-million budget. The measure is a decrease of $2.4 million from the 2017 budget.
General tuition will increase to $124 per credit from $120. The new tuition will start with the 2017 summer session.
A student taking 24 general credits a year, which is a typical Atlantic Cape student, would see an increase in tuition and general fees of $3,681 compared to the previous $3,566 in 2017.