In response to a 13% budget cut, Information Technology Services (ITS) will be eliminating a total of 13 positions by Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21).
*Fiscal year’s range from July 1 of the previous year to June 30 of the stated year.
The 13 positions will consist of four employees who have already received confirmation that their work contracts will not be renewed, those who accept voluntary incentive packages and already vacant positions, Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Dan Ewart said.
The four employees who have received non-renewals were given verbal notification in early January but will receive formal letters of non-renewal shortly, Ewart said.
“My hope is that they’ll find other positions within the university, we’d love to keep them in the Vandal family,” Ewart said. “And there may even be open positions that come open in ITS that they can apply for, but it was important for me to tell them so that they could begin making plans.”
Voluntary incentive programs
The positions that may become open for the four non-renewed employees would come from vital roles in ITS left open by employees who might go through with the Voluntary Separation Incentive Program (VSIP) or the Optional Retirement Incentive Program (ORIP), Ewart said. The people refilling these positions would be paid less money than the people currently in those roles are being paid now. Allowing some money to be saved even with rehiring positions.
According to a presidential memo sent out on Nov. 22, 2019, from University of Idaho President C. Scott Green, employees who meet the criteria for the VSIP, would receive a one-time payment of 33% of their current salary in FY21. While the ORIP retirement plan would pay criteria meeting employees, 20% of their current salary for five years starting in FY21. Employees who are approved and accept either plan must end their employment by June 26, 2020 — although they can choose to leave the university earlier as well.
The four non-renewed employees also fall under this timetable.
Ewart said there has been a number of ITS employees who have expressed interest in the VSIP or the ORIP. Though he was unsure of the exact number. The total number of people leaving under these programs will be finalized on Feb. 7.
ITS Shared Services
ITS is looking to engage in a new workplace model called IT Shared Services. ITS employees who usually work with specific colleges and departments will still work within them but could end up working in other areas as well. Specific tasks and projects would be prioritized underneath the new model.
Ewart said that no jobs are to be eliminated by ITS Shared Services and that all jobs cut would be because of the budget deficit.
“We’re looking at all of the people that do work all across the institution, because only about half of those people report directly to my organization. We’re looking at what they do and how we can make sure that we are all collectively working toward the most important things for the institution, especially in times of budget challenges,” Ewart said. “It’s really important that we marshal our personnel resources to focusing on what the most important things are.”
Additional small cuts
The elimination of 13 positions in ITS will account for a majority of the 13% budget reduction. The remainder of the 13% will be accounted for in different areas of ITS.
“There’ll be some additional small — and they are quite small — less than $10,000,” Ewart said. “We’ll have a few less software contracts. We’re shedding a few of those down that aren’t as necessary as others, mostly internal infrastructure related things that we can find other ways to do. There’ll be some reduction in part-time labor, but again, very small.” Reductions in part-time labor would only come after part-time employees leave through their own will, said Ewart.
Sam Bruce can be reached at [email protected]