Vacant jobs remain unfilled as BC3 addresses budget deficit
BUTLER TWP — As a way to address a budget deficit, Butler County Community College plans to leave certain vacant positions unfilled until the budget is balanced.
The college planned for a budget deficit of up to $2.9 million this fiscal year, which BC3 president Nick Neupauer said was a worst-case scenario estimate, due in part to the expiration of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund money in 2024.
Neupauer said at a meeting of the Council of Trustees Wednesday, Sept. 20, that the college has also cut back on discretionary spending by about 15% in an effort to reduce the deficit.
“The easiest way to bite into a budget deficit is to not fill all of the positions,” Neupauer said. “When we don’t fill positions, we tack on some of those responsibilities to other people, and that is what we have been doing.”
The trustees passed a resolution June 21, fixing the tuition rate for 2023-24, and also passed the final budget for the year, which has about $39.6 million in expenditures — a decrease of about $10.7 million compared to last year. The tuition rate brought the cost for Butler County students to $130 per credit, $233 for out-of-county residents and $333 for out-of-state residents.
Jim Hrabosky, vice president for administration and finance at BC3, said some rising costs contributed to the deficit, including staff benefit costs, which are up 9 percent from last year. Materials and supplies, including software subscription costs, are also up 9 percent.
In a report to the trustees Wednesday, Neupauer said the college had used ESSER money to recover revenue lost because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re doing a deeper dive when a position becomes available as to, is it a mission critical position, is it something that can be divvied up,” Neupauer said. “It does put a strain on folks, there is no question about that, but it is the strategy that we’re moving forward with.”
He also referenced financial challenges higher education institutions across the nation are facing, which has caused some colleges to discontinue programs or even completely close down.
Neupauer said there are no plans for layoffs at BC3 right now, but the college will continue to have vacant positions until the deficit shrinks.
“I think that is the appropriate order to address a budget deficit; other institutions are not doing that,” he said. “I am confident in our strategy. It is taking a lot of work that extends from top to bottom at the institution.”
Also at the meeting, Neupauer announced that BC3 had been ranked as the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania by bestcolleges.com — the ninth year in a row the college has received this recognition.
A news release included quotes from students at BC3 that lauded programs and classes they are in at the school, and some also said they would be graduating with a degree debt-free.
“Draw your attention to what our students are saying about us and the significance that we have in these students’ lives,” Neupauer said. “This is a collective team effort fro the board to the foundation board, the college community, our supporters, our students, faculty and staff.”
Rocco Spadafora, a business administration student on BC3’s main campus, said BC3 is setting him up well for his future, thanks in part to its teaching staff.
“The teachers are very personable to every single student,” he said. “They care about every single student individually.”