Governor's Directive Regarding Furloughs for State Employees
July 22, 2009
To the Georgia Tech campus community:
As you have undoubtedly heard, as a result of the continuing decline in state revenues, late yesterday Governor Perdue announced a “mandatory three day furlough for every state employee to be taken before the end of the calendar year.” This of course includes Georgia Tech.
Although we still have unanswered questions, let me share with you what we do know and what we have planned. While we had hoped to be able to avoid the use of furloughs, we have had a “Furlough Contingency Plan Working Group” comprised of faculty and staff working on the issue of furloughs and how we might implement them should the need arise.
Over the course of the next several weeks, we will be interacting with that group, the campus leadership and the Office of the Chancellor to determine the specifics of the implementation. As we plan to comply with the governor’s directive, there are a number of questions that must be answered and issues that must be resolved. We will share this plan with all of you and present it to the Board of Regents for approval at their next meeting on August 11 and 12, 2009.
We will do everything possible to ensure that we are able to maintain the quality of our programs and fulfill our statutory mission of presenting outstanding education, research and outreach programs, while still meeting the governor’s directive. We will also do everything we can to work out the timing of the furlough days to meet the needs of your work groups and your personal preferences.
Because of the impact this directive will have on all of us and our families, I will continue to keep you apprised of the specifics of our plan as they become more clear.
Regards,
G. P. "Bud" Peterson
President
