An official of the state agency that oversees community colleges warned the City Colleges of Chicago board that its schools risk becoming less accessible to the people it must serve if staff cuts are not made.
Discussing the conclusions of his agency’s review of the City Colleges administration, Carey Israel told the board of trustees that it needs to reduce non-teaching personnel.
Israel, executive director of the Illinois Community College Board, also said the system needs to improve the productivity of remaining full-time staff members, some of whom have 25- to 32-hour workweeks.
Israel said that while enrollments have declined since 1987, the hiring of support staff has risen significantly.
He suggested such a trend was unacceptable at a time when the state legislature is turning the screws on higher education dollars.
“Things are tightening up,” Israel said.
Ronald Gidwitz, the board’s chairman, welcomed the report.
“I am absolutely persuaded that we can reprogram the monies that are currently available to get bigger bang for the buck, so to speak,” he said.
The state board specifically recommended that staff cuts occur below the level of deans and directors. But a City Colleges spokesman indicated that reductions will probably go beyond the agency’s suggestions.
“You can expect that when this whole thing is over, there are going to be cuts at the administrator level and at other levels too,” the spokesman said.
