KCTCS Board of Regents votes to increase employee salaries, approves initial recommendations of system-wide study

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) Board of Regents met June 15 and 16 at West Kentucky Community and Technical College. The board approved a $2,000 base salary increase for regular full-time employees and discussed the initial findings of a system-wide study.

“I fully support the board’s decision to approve employee raises for the second year in a row,” said KCTCS Interim President Larry Ferguson. “A sustainable investment in our workforce is important. Their hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence are the driving forces behind our success as a community college system.”

The board has also approved the adoption of the initial recommendations derived from a comprehensive study conducted by the Huron Consulting Group, an external agency that was hired last year to evaluate a broad range of business practices within the system.

The initial recommendations from Huron encompass a variety of priorities centered around space utilization, optimization of academic programming, and financial and organizational assessments.

Additionally, the board passed a motion encouraging the pursuit of opportunities within the financial and organizational assessment as it relates to decreasing administration layers within the system to facilitate the modernization of KCTCS and its ability to better serve its students, faculty and staff, the state workforce and the Commonwealth.

A detailed report from the Huron study and initial recommendations will be released at a later time.

“KCTCS is now twenty-five years old,” said Board of Regents Chair James Stevens. “Taking a detailed look at how we are currently conducting business and making some necessary adjustments is the only way forward towards those next twenty-five years.”

Additionally, the board voted to increase tuition for the 2023-2024 academic year at all KCTCS colleges by $4 per credit hour. This brings In-State tuition rates to $186 and $250 for students attending KCTCS from out of state. Despite this increase, KCTCS tuition remains the lowest in Kentucky and about half the cost of university tuition.

Other business by the board included:

Approval of a budget of $992,588,400 for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
A president’s report by Interim President Larry Ferguson.
An update on the ongoing search for a permanent KCTCS president by Chief of Staff Hannah Rivera.
Recognition of KCTCS Provost Kris Williams for her service to KCTCS before her retirement at the end of June.
A presentation by West Kentucky Community and Technical College President Anton Reece.
Recognition of Student Regent Brittanie Bogard and Student Regent Richard Smith for their service to the board and academic achievements.
A presentation about the launch of the new Education First Employer network project by Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development Jesse Schook.
A student success testimonial from Henderson Community College graduate Khalil Taliaferro.
Approval of a total of 13,118 credential requests that include 8,850 certificates, 731 diplomas, and 3,537 associate degrees.

The next meeting of the KCTCS Board of Regents is scheduled for September 21 and 22 at the system office in Versailles, KY.