After Seattle Community College’s decision to cut down their budget, several departments of the SCC will be merged. IT help desks have been experiencing this, and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs might undergo the same, as the International Education Program Offices of North, South, and central campus will be merged into one. This will possibly result in the lay-offs of some faculty members, according to multiple sources.
To get more accurate information, we contacted Duff Johnston, PhD., Interim Associate Dean of English International Programs.
“For students and teachers here at Central, the important thing to know is classes will continue as usual here in the new year!,” said Dr. Johnston, when asked for clarification on this information. According to him, nothing is decided at this point, and information about this will be provided by the upcoming new year, when the situation becomes clearer. However, some are concerned that this decision could cause alarm among international students who are taking an ESL program. It could mean difficulties in getting assistance for studying in the U.S. from experienced instructors, unless the school comes up with a fair solution to the matter. The school district’s decision to cut down its budget has led the International Education Program Offices to diminish in size; this includes their last decision to close one of their student leadership boards as well.
Starting in the 2019 Fall Quarter, the tuition was slightly raised by 2.5%, as the school agreed to raise faculty salary in 2019. Besides raising the tuition, other plans to obtain financing for increased expenditure included going through reducing spending in some of the school’s departments.
Nevertheless, the school’s future plan for the International Education Department doesn’t affect the class schedule for the current Fall 2019 quarter, Dr. Johnston stated in his email. The future is a little less clear though.
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