Colorado Springs adjunct professors worry for jobs amid college budget cuts

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Adjunct professors at local Colorado Springs colleges worry their future as educators may be in jeopardy.

Adjunct professors are contracted through colleges by semester, and some worry with a decrease in enrollment, colleges will start laying their staff off.

Pikes Peak Community College President Dr. Lance Bolton says they are anticipating a 20% decrease in their budget for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year.

"I've never seen a budget drop this fast," he said.

Enrollment for the summer semester is down by 20%, and 35% for the fall semester compared to this time last year.

Campuses were shut down in march after Governor Jared Polis' stay-at-home order was initiated, forcing all classes to transition online.

"This library this time of year, coming up on Spring semester final exams, would be filled with students and teachers, but you can see we're pretty near empty," Dr. Bolton said.

Students were allowed back on campus for some classes starting Monday, but the empty classrooms came with concern for Bolton and his staff.

Bolton says, "I think our adjunct faculty are understandably concerned with what's happened."

The need for part-time professors is based on student demand. With less enrollment, there's a decreased need for educators.

"I think our adjunct faculty are understandably concerned with what's happened," he said.

Relief from the federal government's CARES Act is coming to the community college but the funding comes with strict guidelines on how it can be used.

"The CARES Act is bringing about $7.5 million to Pikes Peak Community College to help with the recovery," Bolton explains. "It will be going directly to students and it'll be going to them in the form of emergency aid that will help students with food, with housing, with bills, with keeping their families together, and keeping themselves on track."

Bolton says he hopes the aid will in turn encourage students to enroll for classes, allowing the college to keep as many adjunct staff as they can.