South Puget Sound Community College board votes to close 3 programs, cut staff
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- South Puget Sound Community College board voted unanimously to eliminate three programs.
- Three faculty tied to baking and culinary programs lost jobs
- The college reported a $3.4–$4 million deficit and personnel costs as 83% of the budget.
A cost-cutting recommendation made earlier this year to eliminate three programs and reduce staff became reality on Tuesday after the South Puget Sound Community College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to take that step.
The college said goodbye to its baking and pastry arts program, a culinary arts program and a paralegal program. Three faculty members tied to the baking and culinary arts programs lost their jobs in a reduction-in-force vote, while the paralegal faculty member retired, college spokeswoman Kati Sagawa said.
One of the affected faculty members, Culinary Arts Professor Emily Wallace, spoke to The Olympian after the vote.
“It’s really disheartening,” she said, as a number of her students stood nearby. “You think you work at a community college because you want to change people’s lives, and today we found out that it’s not about that.”
Earlier this year, the college discovered it needed to address a budget shortfall that was created by higher expenses and lower revenue. In January, that deficit fell into a range of $3.4 million to $4 million, according to information shared during Tuesday’s meeting.
“In recent years, tuition increases have not kept pace with growth in employee salaries, benefits, utilities and other essential expenses, resulting in a budget increasingly dominated by fixed personnel costs, now totaling 83% of the college’s budget,” the college previously announced. “At the same time, the timing of state funding no longer aligns with when expenses are incurred, creating recurring cash flow gaps early in the fiscal year.”
The administration made its case to the board that the food programs were suffering from low enrollment and low earning potential for graduates, said Michelle Andreas, vice president of instruction.
She also said the two food programs – baking and culinary arts – cost the college an average of $618,000.
“No formal education or training are required for entry-level or advanced positions,” she said.
“Now, that doesn’t mean the education isn’t beneficial, and I want to be clear about that, it is beneficial, obviously, but it’s not required, and when we’re making really hard decisions about budgets, we have to look at what our for-credit mission is, and we have to make really hard calls, and if it wasn’t these programs, it was going to be other programs that cost less but that do require education and that have higher wage earnings right out of the gate.”
Although some students have recently joined the two-year programs, they will be able to complete them through what is known as a “teach-out,” college officials have said.
Public Comment
During the meeting, the board heard from the affected faculty and nearly 20 students and residents who spoke in favor of the food programs.
The three faculty members, including Professor Wallace, countered that student completion rates were high, and that the programs were not only meaningful for degrees and future opportunities, but also important for marginalized communities.
“The safe space this program provides for students of color, queer students, trans students, neurodivergent students, students who have physical limitations, students who have never felt confident in their whole life, that will all be gone,” said Baking and Pastry Arts Professor Melanie Shelton. “As an alum who is a queer woman, I have benefited from this, and I hate to see this opportunity disappear.”
The three faculty members, too, acknowledged that the programs should be restructured but not eliminated.
“We are proposing a program reduction, not a complete program closure, and this would actually create a program that has a self-sustaining budget, and it also saves the college over $250,000 a year,” Professor Wallace said.
Although the board asked questions about the faculty proposals, it was not immediately clear to what degree they weighed that information before voting. Former Olympia Mayor Doug Mah, former Lacey Mayor Mark Brown and current Thurston County Assessor Steven Drew serve on the board.
Student Zeb Coleman, who described himself as a felon, said the food programs offered him a second chance.
“I understand the college is facing financial challenges and has concerns about employment outcomes,” he said. “However, not every value can be measured solely by wage data. The culinary arts program provides hands-on training and industry connections and real-world experience and professional kitchens that many students would never have access to otherwise.”
Culinary Arts Professor J.P. Downey-McCarthy also spoke.
“These folks were not solicited to come here,” he said about those who addressed the board. “They wanted to come here on their own and be here with us. And as you have seen at the last couple of board of trustees meetings, we’ve had just a lot of support from community members, from our current students, from past students, from chefs in the community.”
Although the outcome was disappointing for Professor Wallace, it also was bittersweet, she said. Wallace has found a new job working for the Bremerton School District. She said the district is starting a new culinary program for high school students.
“These decisions have been incredibly difficult,” said SPSCC President Timothy Stokes in a statement. “They reflect a careful and thorough evaluation of our programs, finances, and responsibility to ensure the long-term sustainability of the college in service to our students and community.”
