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• New CVTC budget includes cutbacks and reductions; River Falls campus affected
• River Falls Days runs this weekend

By RiverTown Staff

Increased operating costs are eating into the budget of Chippewa Valley Technical College, which has resulted in the school's board voting to reduce some class offerings, including some on the River Falls campus.

In their June meeting the CVTC board voted for a 4.5 percent tax levy increase, which school officials say is one of the lowest in the state.

The mill rate for next year for CVTC will be 0.15748 or $157.58 on a $100,000 home in the 11 counties served by the school.

But because the school's operating costs are increasing, Bruce Barker, CVTC president, said that there will be a need to reduce some class offerings and to maintain school enrollment at present levels.

"We don't have a lack of students, but we do have an ability-to-pay problem,' Barker said.

He noted that the level of state aid to technical colleges has remained the same since the 2001-03 biennial budget.

"All of the technical colleges in the state are growing, but no increase in state funding puts more pressure on other revenue areas," Barker said.

Some of the classes being reduced include marketing, business management, accounting, supervisory management, therapeutic massage, barber-cosmetology, along with motorcycle, marine and outdoor power products technician.

Some other programs will be temporarily suspended. These include instructional assistant, supply technician, and continuing education classes in insurance.

Barker said that in River Falls the medical assistant program will be eliminated.

"It is often difficult to find a clinical site for the program," said Barker. "Plus the program is offered at the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in New Richmond."

He added that there shouldn't be any cutbacks at CVTC's Menomonie campus because the focus there is on basic skills, customized training for industries, and the university transfer programs.

While these programs are being cut back or reduced, school officials say manufacturing classes in welding, micromachining and metrology will be expanded at the school's other campuses.

Barker said that there are future plans to expand offerings at the River Falls campus especially in the service industries because of the growing commuter population in the area.

"Commuters need someone to fix their car, child care services and medical services," he said.

Barker added that future plans also call for expanding manufacturing courses in River Falls such as welding and machine tooling.

He also noted that since the River Falls campus started in 1999, the student population has grown ten-fold.

"In 1999, we started out with 30 students, we now have 300," Barker said.

As that growth continues, Barker said there will be a need to expand the campus. School officials have looked at other properties in the city and have talked to the Moody family, who own land just south of the current campus.

"Long-term planning is one thing and budget reality is another," Barker said.

The CVTC president also reinforced the school's commitment to the college transfer program, which allows students to take general education classes at CVTC and then transfer them to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, UW-Stout and UW-Eau Claire.

"We need to provide more seamless education from K-12 to two-year colleges through the universities," Barker said.

He noted that when a student has to retake a class because the credits don't transfer, not only does the student have to pay twice, but so does the taxpayer.

Visitors of all ages can find something to do at River Falls Days beginning with a street dance, Royal Ambassador contest and other activities Thursday and ending with a fireworks display Sunday at dusk.

Beer stands, food vendors, carnival rides, kids activities and Saturday morning child care await visitors this year.

New activities include a mechanical bull, kayak race, bean-burrito eating contest and more. Never failing to draw a crowd, the Friday parade features floats and characters dressed for this year's event theme, Yippie-Kai-Yay on the Kinni (river).

Guests can enjoy dancing in the streets each night, watching truck or tractor pulls plus a car show, shopping the farmer's market or special downtown sales and participating in just about every sport: Tennis, running, softball, basketball, disc golf, bicycle tour, Ultimate Frisbee.

Kids will find plenty of fun including magic shows, sidewalk chalk art, the Kiddie Parade, petting zoo, crazy hair, face painting, a teen battle of bands, Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, jugglers, kids bands, a "mad science" show, inflatable toys and others.

View a schedule of all the River Falls Days activities at www.rfchamber.com or call the River Falls Chamber of Commerce at 425-2533.