ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Georgia Perimeter College laid off 282 staff members Monday in an effort to balance the budget.
Of those cuts, 215 staff members are full-time, 67 are part-time.
According to the president, personnel costs represent 90 percent of the college's expenditures.
"I want to express my deep appreciation to these staff employees for the work that they have done for GPC and the assistance they have given to students, either directly or indirectly," said GPC Interim President Rob Watts.
Watts released a statement and said that no tenured or tenure-track faculty would be cut.
"Our first priority in making the reduction-in-force decisions was protecting classroom instruction for students," Watts said. "Our goal is for these staff reductions to have the smallest possible effect on students."
Watts said that all areas of the college would be affected but areas like public safety would be less affected.
Outside of the Clarkston campus, teachers carried boxes and bags filled with personal items to their cars. One teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, said she saw the layoffs coming
"It always happens like this, they screw up on top, they gamble with people's lives," she said.
Watts said GPC will forward laid off personnel's resumes to other institutions and try to help them find work.
"The college must now focus on the adjustments necessary to operate at lower staffing levels. It will not be easy," Watts said. "We will all need to be as flexible and patient as possible while we make the adjustments."
The college is providing computer resources and outplacement training at the Clarkston campus. In addition, their resumes will be forwarded, as appropriate, to the other institutions in the metro-Atlanta area.
GPC has been around for almost 50 years and has served two generations of students.
All GPC campuses are open and are currently preparing to welcome the next generation of GPC students in the fall.
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