Howard College Lays Off Five

 "We will be recommending to reduce five people in our staff right now, and two other positions, but those positions are not staff, they have been vacant and we have chosen not to fill them,” Cheryl Sparks said. “We are watching the budget and seeing where we are going with that. It’s easier always to reduce a position that there is not a person in it, so we will have those five positions that we will be recommending not be renewed for fall.”

LIVE! spoke with Sparks, President of Howard College, late Friday evening regarding the elimination of some staff positions at the college.

The board will met todqay, Monday, in Big Spring to discuss the budget, funding, grants and other pressing issues for the college.

“This year we have had [seen] this huge growth fail, and from what we were looking at planning from our budget for fall of 2013 to fall of 2014, we lost about 260 students. So our numbers went down, and of course when our numbers were growing leaps and bounds, we added about 13 positions, and in just the general studies area alone,” Sparks explained.

Sparks attributes the decline in enrollment due to a booming economy. When economic times turn down, like they did from 2008-2010 during the recession, enrollment climbed. Now, with practically full employment during the oil boom, propsective students have jobs and are working, she said.

“As we decline in students we need to be resourceful and mindful of our budget dollars and look for the very best way to meet the needs of the community in training, and in this case we are looking at areas where those numbers are down,” Sparks said. “What area did those 260 students take courses in? We looked at those areas, so in those areas we will be losing positions; general studies and career technology. In health profession that position is vacant currently so that’s a good thing, we had that position vacant.”