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SCC deserve
pay increase
It’s incredibly unfair that Southeastern Community College’s maintenance and security workers aren’t getting the same 3 percent raises that other county employees are getting.
These employees, who keep the campus up and running and provide for student and faculty safety, are not actually county employees, but their salaries are paid by the county.
Surely they must feel underappreciated. An SCC official estimated that it would cost only $15,000 to provide them with raises, not a whole lot more than it takes to outfit a judge’s office with furniture. County Manager Jim Varner said there was not enough money in the budget to provide for these raises, however.
Many of these maintenance and security employees are hardly making what faculty members, whose salaries are mostly funded by the state, are paid. These workers need the money to make ends meet.
Another disconcerting matter is that overlooking these employees signals that the administration and commissioners are willing to marginalize SCC requests at budget time.
We believe most residents understand what SCC means to Columbus County. It is an institution of integrity which provides jobs and job training unlike any other. $15,000, or whatever the exact figure is, may seem like a small amount, but philosophically, the commissioners must understand that SCC should be at or near the top of the list when it comes to funding. SCC cannot become the hind teat.
We hope the commissioners will find the money to give these deserving employees raises, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but also to make a statement about what SCC and its employees mean to the county.