Wor-Wic Community College asked Worcester and Wicomico County officials for financial assistance to cover a $600,000 budget shortfall. The shortfall is due to a decline in enrollment and a rise in health care costs.

As reported in The Dispatch:

On Tuesday Murray Hoy, president of Wor-Wic, approached both the Worcester County Commissioners and the Wicomico County Council to ask for funding to help cover a budgetary shortfall. Worcester County agreed to contribute $175,200 while Wicomico County agreed to fund $212,400. Hoy is expected to return to Wicomico County in May to seek an additional transfer.

“I’m coming to you with hat in hand asking you to help offset a $600,000 shortfall,” Hoy said.

In a presentation Tuesday morning, Hoy told Worcester County officials the community college was close to $1.3 million in the hole this year. He said the shortfall was attributable to two things — a decline in enrollment and higher than expected medical benefits costs. Hoy said the decline in enrollment was a trend community colleges nationwide were experiencing. While last year half of Maryland community colleges saw declines, this year they’ve all seen declines, Hoy said. He said nationally, there was a 9 percent reduction in community college enrollment since the end of the country’s recession.

…

To combat the increased medical expenses and the declining enrollment, the school has started strategically freezing positions, instituted a travel freeze, eliminated the plan to contract with the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Department for a deputy, and removed 14 credit program options. Officials are also looking for school-wide budget reductions.

To learn more read The Dispatch.