LINDA PAYNE

Financial issues remain a top concern for the Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Board of Trustees, prompting them to draft a letter to North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue.

In response to several budget revisions on Wednesday's agenda, the board instructed CCC&TI President Ken Boham to draft a letter to Perdue about its disapproval with the level of funds that are being reversed. This school year alone, CCC&TI has sent $925,952 back to the state of North Carolina and is expected to send another $175,000 in January.

Boham said he plans on describing the struggles CCC&TI is having with balancing record growth levels and the number of financial aid requests with an ailing budget. He also plans on submitting local and system-wide figures that demonstrate how difficult things are. Recent reports show that the state is providing funding for approximately 216,000 students, but there are more than 236,000 students enrolled across the state.

Once the final letter is approved by Board Chairman Larry Taylor, it will be sent to Perdue, commissioners in Watauga and Caldwell counties, area state legislators and Donny Hunter, executive director of the North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees.

Additionally, board members voted unanimously to update three institutional policies, including the Employment of Relatives Policy, the Communicable Disease Policy and the process for nominating the Trustees' Student Awards of Merit.

The updated Employment of Relatives Policy further clarifies the term "closely-related" family members as someone who "resides within the same household or otherwise so closely identified with each other as to suggest difficulties" in a management situation. It also removes the section that said the policy only affected those who were hired after the time of its adoption in 1981.

Trustee Mack Jarvis said the Communicable Disease Policy's format has been updated and a plan of action has been created should there be a pandemic outbreak on either the main campus, the Watauga Campus, the Caldwell Career Center Middle College or the Caldwell Early College High School. The policy states the institution president will be responsible for providing students with information. That person will work closely with the Caldwell County Health Department to relay information and will have the authority to temporarily close the school should the need arise.

Vice President of Student Services Mark Poarch said a few changes have been made to increase participation in the Trustees' Award of Merit. Poarch said one change effects when applications are due and a small stipend has been added for the recipient. In addition, the nomination form asks faculty to list "examples of leadership" the nominee has shown, instead of listing community activities.

Forms now are available, Poarch said, and are due back in January.

In other news:

* Board members accepted $2,382.70 in gifts to the institution and four donations to help with students. They also accepted three new vehicles as in-kind gifts for the Automotive Technology program.

* Board members approved several budget revisions, including the addition of $298,379 for JobsNOW and a $218,460 award from the system office.

*Trustee Inez Jones announced the employment of Kevin Eisenhour, temporary full-time health sciences instructor, and the retirement of Sandra Duncan, full-time systems analyst and programmer.

* Board members were introduced to several new employees, including Jasyn Klamborowski, full-time history instructor on the Watauga Campus; Joe Looney, full-time director of electronics engineering; Linda Ward, full-time temporary cosmetology instructor; Dr. Paul Howe, full-time business instructor; David DeViney, full-time science lab technician; Dennis Suddreth, temporary full-time auto body instructor; and Susie Hutchens, full-time director for testing and assessment.