Fort Valley State University Faculty and Staff Taking Furlough Days

FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)-Faculty and staff at Fort Valley State University are being asked to take at least 3 furlough days as the school tries to solve its budget problems. The University is between $900,000 and $1,000,000 short on its budget for the 2012 fiscal year. Vice President for Business and Finance Ronald Stark says the plan is for employees who make less than $30,000 a year to take 3 furlough days. 

Those who earn higher salaries will take 5 furlough days.  Stark says money from the state decreased significantly since 2008. 

“This year we got a 2 percent budget cut which amounts to about $400,000, and we thought we had planned for that.  But, it wasn’t properly planned.  Though we had several departments overspend their budget for the current year, there were some things that should have been put in the budget like insurance that was not put in the budget,” said Stark.

Fort Valley plans to implement a hiring freeze.  Only positions that are essential will be filled at this time.  Also, they plan to reduce travel and cancel all purchase cards until they get a new budget June 30th. The university says the Furloughs will save 80,000 to 85,000 thousand dollars a day.