THE ISSUE: The Sanford budget

OUR OPINION: Closing Salkehatchie campus, big cuts for Clemson Extension possible

Sanford may get many cuts he proposes

By T& D Staff Writer

Gov. Mark Sanford may have become governor at the perfect time for a man with his philosophy. At no other time could he propose the level of cutbacks in state government and have friend and foe alike say there is merit in the plan.

With the state again looking at a budget shortfall of $350 million, this is the opportunity for a man bent on streamlining government.

The Republican governor on Thursday unveiled his spending plan that calls for cutbacks all around.

In The T&D Region, there is the matter of the University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie, with campuses in Allendale and Walterboro. The regional campus, open since the 1960s, serves students primarily from Allendale, Colleton, Barnwell, Bamberg and Hampton counties.

Sanford's budget calls for closing Salkehatchie and the Union campuses, proposals that have been heard before. USC and locals have successfully fended off the calls in previous years, but maybe not this time. The campuses would be phased out over three years.

While the campuses are major assets for the communities involved, supporters should shift their tactics in looking to save them.

With USC-Beaufort (New River) expanding to a four-year institution and the coastal boom on the doorstep of the area served by Salkehatchie, lawmakers could consider a consolidation of the Salkehatchie operation into USC-Beaufort.

The proposal would give to the Beaufort campus an immediate inroad into Colleton and might fend off outright closure of the Allendale campus. A change could be accomplished in less than three years, with savings realized in ending duplicate administrations.

It's the type of plan the Democratic lawmakers representing the Salkehatchie counties could sell to Sanford and GOP lawmakers, who otherwise have no reason to worry about political fallout.

Saving the Clemson Extension Service from 40 percent budget cuts may be more difficult. While we'll predict the cutbacks won't be so severe, the governor's call to change the extension's role in changing times for state budgets and agriculture will find support among lawmakers.

Sanford says the extension should return to its primary mission of supporting agricultural enterprise and move away from its community development and support activities such as 4-H, and reduce what Sanford calls duplication of services in the area of food safety and nutrition and environmental conservation. Offices in urban areas would be closed.

With Orangeburg and The T&D Region still primarily agricultural country, the extension presence here would still be strong. We certainly hope so, since the Clemson experts are front-line agricultural advisers and play a key role in big and small farming operations.

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