http://66.225.205.104/LM20090312.mp3
Central Piedmont Community College plans to close Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays over the summer to save money. CPCC has had to return more than $2.5 million dollars to Mecklenburg County and the state to help reduce budget shortfalls. By moving to a four-day week, the college hopes to save $120,000 in maintenance, security and power expenses.
Jessica Graham, the college's spokeswoman, says CPCC won't eliminate weekend courses altogether. "We do recognize that some of our students do depend on weekend classes and so we've made a lot of effort to move those classes into these specific locations that will still be open over the weekend," explains Graham. Graham says many weekend class will shift to weekday evenings so that working students can still attend. The college doesn't plan to extend the four-day week past the summer. CPCC says it's also reducing the number of schedules it prints and freezing hiring, travel and bonuses to cope with a smaller budget.