CENTRALIA — Due to the lack of a state budget and the resulting financial challenges for the college, the Kaskaskia College Board of Trustees on Monday night moved forward with several personnel and program cuts.

A lack of state funding for the sollege for nearly 8 months, and the continuing uncertainty regarding when the college will receive state funding, has resulted in significant budget cuts having to be made in order for the college to continue operations.

“Based on these financial challenges, the Board approved the College to move forward in implementing procedures for Reductions in Force (RIF) for Faculty, Professional/Managerial Staff, and Support Staff.  Such procedures include meeting with the Unions representing the affected employees,” says a press release from the college.

The Reductions in Force include the following:

Elimination of the Kaskaskia College Adult Education and Literacy Programs, to include all full-time professional/managerial staff and part-time support staff due to the lack of funding from the State for the Programs.

The College had been paying the expenses for those programs, with the expectation that the State funding would be in place by now to cover such expenses.

Due to the current financial crisis, the College can no longer afford to fund these programs, which are additional expenses, outside of the College’s operating budget.

Academic programs for Automotive Collision, and Industrial Tech, will be eliminated, as will the full-time Spanish faculty position.

The following Professional/Managerial and Support Staff positions will also be eliminated;  Full-Time Communications Outreach Specialist, Full-Time Instructional Design and Distance Learning Specialist, Full-Time Retention Specialist, Full-Time Enrollment Specialist at Nashville Education Center, three Part-Time Education Center Support Specialists, Part-Time Culinary Services Assistant, Part-Time Business and Industry Support Specialist.

In other personnel actions, the Board approved the retirement of David Holshouser, Electronics Instructor at the Centralia Correctional Center; Steve Mandrell, Construction Occupations Instructor at the Centralia Correctional Center; Joan Meredith, Nursing Professor; Kathie Knuf, Nursing Professor; Kent Sickmeyer, Economic Professor; and Virginia Williams, Office Technologies Professor.

The Board also approved a resolution for the entire College to be open Monday through Thursday for the summer and all Education Centers will work a four day work week the entire year.

The Board approved a resolution for the establishment of a line of credit with Midland Bank.  The approved line of credit will be $3,500,000 at an interest rate not to exceed the limit authorized in the Illinois Public Community College Act.

This money will be used for the purpose of working cash to continue operations in the current fiscal year 2016.  Such money would be repaid when State funds are received.

The Board of Trustees approved in November 2015 to move forward with the process to issue Bonds in the principal amount of $3,280,000 with First Midstate Inc. serving as Bond Underwriter.

The board also declared its intention Monday night to proceed with the issue of Taxable General Obligation Community College Bonds for the purpose of increasing the working cash fund of the District, providing for the levy of a direct annual tax sufficient to pay the principal and interest on said bonds, and authorizing the sale of bonds.