280 Pittsburg State employees to be furloughed

  Friday, June 5, 2015 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

Pittsburg State University officials this morning moved forward with a plan to enforce state mandated furloughs. 280 employees and about 250 student workers were notified they would not be allowed to come to work or be paid if lawmakers and the governor do not agree to a funded budget plan by midnight on Saturday, June 6.

“To say that this has been a difficult day would be an understatement,” said President Steve Scott. “We remain hopeful that an agreement will be forged before tomorrow’s deadline but there are, obviously, no guarantees.”

As a result of the political impasse, Pittsburg State leaders were forced to develop a list of employees whose job functions are “essential” or critical to maintaining a basic level of service to students. Should furloughs take effect, the university will only be allowed to pay these “essential” employees. It will not be authorized to pay any other employees.

This “essential” or critical listing was developed using a set of parameters provided by the Kansas Board of Regents. The priority was to provide direct instruction and support of students.

“Summer courses, CARES registration events, summer camps, campus safety and construction will not be affected,” said Scott. “Our faculty will still teach in the classroom and our students will have access to limited support services. Unfortunately, should this furlough go into effect, other daily campus operations will experience significant disruption.”

Support service employees involved in administration, technology, custodial, landscape, building trades, athletics, and campus recreation are included in the list of furloughed employees as are members of the President’s and Provost’s Councils. For example, 55 percent of the employees in the President’s Division and 56 percent in the Administrative and Finance Division will be furloughed.

“This is a situation not of our making but we are all in it together,” said Scott. “We are actively advocating in Topeka for our students, our employees and our families. I know our employees feel devalued by what’s taking place in Topeka. That’s not just frustrating to me, it’s painful. The people who work here are incredibly dedicated to our students and they deserve better.”

University employees affected by the furlough were notified by their supervisors prior to noon today. The university will provide updates on its website at pittstate.edu.

The Department of Administration has created a list of FAQs to help answer employees’ questions about the possible furlough. It is available on their website at www.admin.ks.gov.