College Cutting Number Of Classes

The elimination of 34 class sections is one of Lewis-Clark State College’s responses to Gov. Phil Batt’s call for state budget reductions.

That recommendation was submitted to his office on Monday.

“I don’t believe we had any other choices,” school President James Hottois. “We looked at everything.”

Fewer classes make it more difficult for students to meet their educational goals, he said, and means some instructors will lose their jobs.

Classes such as English composition and psychology, which have more than one section, were specifically targeted. As a result, Hottois said he expects class sizes will increase.

Lagging revenue prompted Batt to request a 2 percent holdback for this year’s budget. Lewis-Clark’s proposal would slice $218,000.

Since school officials had so little time to respond to Batt’s request, the recommendations are a one-year solution, Harris said. But Batt wants the reductions to be permanent; Harris expects such a plan by Dec. 1.