FDTC passes $39 million dollar budget, finds firm financial ground

By Melissa Rollins

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After a few rocky months Florence-Darlington Technical College is back on stable ground, said Interim President Edward Bethea during a Commission meeting June 19.

After depleting their cash reserve to a fraction of what is should have been under former president Ben Dillard, FDTC staff is working to build that fund back up.

“I asked Doug (Lange, vice president for business affairs) to budget $1.5 million into the budget that we’re planning on not touching at all,” Bethea said. “It is to build up that cash; that days on hand. If we had a major thing maybe we could use some of it but I asked him to build up the cash on hand; we don’t want to get into that (money). I also have a little over $200,000 in contingency money and that would be the money I would use if I had to react quickly. I am trying to keep $1.5 million at the end of the year.”

Commissioner Hood Temple applauded Bethea and Lange’s efforts to return Tech to a state of good financial practices.

“I truly believe that for a school with a budget the size of this, that type of contingency is absolutely necessary,” Temple said. “It is a good practice. Obviously, there should be no incentive to spend it unless you need it. I hope we can build that up as we go so that we can have that cushion.”

As an action item on the meeting agenda, FDTC Commissioners approved a $39 million dollar budget; that number is down from last year’s $40 million.

“We cut it into the bone,” Bethea said. “We didn’t buy anything; we quite buying March 8. We are not going to hire anyone this year and any positions that go vacant, unless they are absolutely necessary, we are going to try and hold that line. We may move some people, reassign some people into positions, but that is kind of what I am looking at.”

Chairwoman Missy Jay said that she was pleased with the proposed budget.

“I am happy to see a leaner, meaner, healthier operating machine,” Jay said.

Commissioner Paul Seward agreed.

“I think the staff has done a great job at looking at our offerings, taking a look at dual-enrollment and making some very practical decisions,” Seward said. “(They took) a real look at tuition numbers and where they are going to be, as far as enrollment. I think it is a job well done.”

Temple said that the college has not raised tuition in years past when they may have needed to. He said that he is confident that they looked at all their expenses and revenues, made cuts when possible, before making the necessary move to raise it this year.

During his President’s Report, Bethea said that the college received a positive report on their accreditation.

“I do have some great news,” Bethea said. “I was in Buford at the president’s retreat. I got a phone call and it was from SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges) and we got an All Clear from them. Dan Avery spearheaded this. I told him that we were in bad shape and that we had to do something. He put together a team and really worked round the clock for three or four days. I told this group that there may be an issue, that it was shaky, so I was glad to get that call.”

Though Bethea has said that he does not intended to keep the president role permanently, he is making plans for FDTC’s future.

“For the last several weeks and months, I have been talking to areas of the college discussing things, bringing them up-to-date and telling them what is going on,” Bethea said. “One of the things that I am in the process of doing in developing a ten-point vision for the institution going forward; what we need to work on, where we need to go. I am also starting a strategic planning process that will start as soon as the calendar year turns over. It will include everyone in the college. That’s what we used to do and that is what we are going to go back to doing.”

Author: mrollins

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