Lane Community College may have to lay off part time and even full time employees if its enrollment continues to decline.
The college experienced a surge in enrollment during the recession, but that's dropped off as the economy has improved.
Lane saw a 40 percent boost in enrollment from 2008 to 2012 as people who had lost their jobs went to school for technical training. LCC president Mary Spilde says as state funding for higher education has dwindled; the college is more dependent on tuition.
Spilde: "Now that tuition is 42 percent of our budget, that has a big impact on our revenue. For every 10 percent in enrollment decline, we lose about 3 million dollars in tuition revenue."
Spilde says enrollment was down by 10 percent last year, 12 percent this year and the school expects a drop of 7 to 8 percent next year. The college has used efficiencies to cut costs but now they're looking at cutting programs. They're considering leaving vacant positions unfilled and some employees may be laid off.
The Lane Community College Board of Education will decide on program cuts at its meeting April 28th.
