USC to furlough hundreds of teachers in attempt to balance budget
The University of South Carolina wants to furlough employees who make more than $118,000 per year, the school said in a letter to faculty and staff.
“Tier 2” Employees who make between $118,000 to $199,999 per year and “nine-month faculty” who make more than $118,000 per year would be required to take 10 days of furlough in the 2020-2021 school year, according to the letter. “Tier 1” employees who make $200,000 or more would be required to take 20 days furlough, the letter said.
Colleges are allowed to furlough employees for no more than 20 days, according to state law.
A recent change in state law allows colleges to conduct some furloughs without approval from the Department of Administration. However, since USC is exempting some employees from furlough — such as law enforcement, new faculty hires and some clinical faculty — it needs final from the department before implementing the furloughs, USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said in an email.
Stensland noted that while USC is projected to lose millions because of COVID-19, the school was still able to freeze tuition, something the school hasn’t done since 1998.
“We face a historic budget shortfall as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In response, we have approved a budget that holds the line on tuition and protects our educational mission through a series of broad-based reductions and identifying operational efficiencies,” Stensland said.
In 2018, 649 USC employees made more than $118,000 per year, according to a the most recent readily available database obtained under the S.C. Freedom of Information Act. Of those, 438 were professors, assistant professors, associate professors, department chairs who teach classes and other teaching roles, according to the database.
Given that USC employs just over 6,500 people — according to an email from S.C. department of Administration spokeswoman Kelly Coakley — these furloughs apply to roughly 10% of USC employees.
Employees will be required to take furloughs for five full days in the same work week, the letter said. Half of those furlough days must be used before Dec. 20, according to the letter.
USC President Robert Caslen left open the possibility that furloughs could be rolled back if the university’s economic situation improves, he said in a letter to faculty and staff.
“If the economy turns, and our loss of revenue is not as severe as estimated, we will terminate the furlough as soon as possible,” Caslen said in the letter.
The mandatory furloughs are in direct response to fiscal challenges the state’s largest university is facing because of coronavirus, according to the leter. In the 2020-2021 fiscal year, which begins July 1, USC is projected to lose $127 million because of COVID-19, according to a previous article from The State.
Coronavirus has been ravaging college budgets throughout the country. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the state’s largest school has tried to cut down on money by delaying construction of a new dormitory complex, cutting salaries for top executives and coaches, a partial hiring freeze, faculty foregoing salary increases and more.
This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 12:23 PM.