Community College Job Cuts in Mississippi

Community colleges statewide are eliminating nearly 250 jobs for the upcoming year to close budget gaps, and five are dropping at least one intercollegiate sport.
The move comes as colleges increase tuition by an average of 13 percent, mostly because state funding has fallen.
Community College Board Executive Director Andrea Mayfield said Tuesday that 81 people will be laid off, while 122 jobs will be eliminated after employees leave or retire.
Coahoma Community College spokeswoman Brittany Davis-Green says the Clarksdale school could cut employee pay later in the year.
Some colleges will also cut student jobs, a way many students earn money.
Copiah-Lincoln, East Mississippi, Holmes, Northeast Mississippi and Northwest Mississippi community colleges are all dropping at least one sport.
The independently governed schools made their own decisions about cuts.