Faculty and students were shocked this week by the number of layoff notices given to teachers, after Clatsop Community College axed one program and shuttered others. The actions are all in the face of a $1 million gap between revenues and expenditures it is required to fill by June 31. Actual layoffs start spring term. Some faculty will be offered adjunct work, if available, at about one-third of regular pay. By law, they won’t be able to collect unemployment if they don’t accept offered adjunct work. “They’re getting our expertise at a fraction of the cost,” said Heather Walsh, a chemistry instructor who was one of those given a layoff notice. College leaders are actively trying to raise the funding necessary to rescind some of its cuts, for example in the nursing program.
