CENTRALIA — Due to the lack of a FY 16 state budget and only “stop gap” funding, the Kaskaskia College Board of Trustees approved a resolution Monday to discontinue the educational courses and programs being offered at the East St. Louis Community College Center.

The Board met Monday for its regular monthly meeting, and found that the college is facing severe financial challenges due to the state budget impasse, and so it has has become financially unfeasible for SICCM and the participating community colleges to continue providing the courses and programs at the ESLCCC.

The Board says there is continuing uncertainty as to when the State budget crisis will be resolved and when Illinois community colleges will receive regular funding for credit hours, equalization, contractual arrangements, and federal pass through payments for various programs; and SICCM has notified Kaskaskia College that it will no longer be coordinating educational programming for the ESLCCC, and it is ending all community college programming offered at the ESLCCC, effective June 30, 2016.

The Board authorized the CFO to transfer up to $8,480,000 from a special working cash fund to the education fund as needed, in order to ensure the College has sufficient funds to pay ordinary and necessary expenses in the upcoming fiscal year as the budget crisis continues to adversely impact KC.

In personnel matters, the Board approved the hiring of Susan Rutledge-Jukes of Bluford as the Healthcare Support Program Coordinator; Jenna Lammers of Centralia as Registrar; and Shawn Morris of Iuka as the Assistant Professor of Welding Technology; all position replacements necessary to continue quality service for students.

The FY2018 Resource Allocation Management Program (RAMP) capital request for FY 2018 was approved by the Board for submission to the Illinois Community College Board.

FY18 RAMP seeks funding to construct the proposed:  Agricultural Arena with Greenhouse as project #1, Mechanical Technology Facility as project #2, Fine and Performing Arts Addition as project #3, and Crisp Technology Center Expansion for Industrial Maintenance as project #4.  Although it is not anticipated that funding for RAMP is likely this year, it is important for KC to remain on the RAMP list for future allocations.

The Board also approved the prevailing wages for Clinton, Bond, Fayette, Marion and Washington Counties, and approved the Joint Agreements for the 2016-17 academic year.  Further, the purchase of Cosmetology Program Student Kits, and bids to refinish the Library floor were approved by the Board.