Bishop Museum lays off 9 employees

By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Staff Writer

Bishop Museum eliminated nine employees Thursday after the loss of $1.3 million in federal money during the next two years that officials said was partly due to the war in Iraq and the sluggish economy.

The 4 percent cutbacks from a workforce of 248 are in mid-level management and won't affect hours or programs at the museum, according to William F. Brown, president and chief executive officer.

Nor will the losses affect plans for construction of a $16 million Science Learning Center that begins at the end of the year. The money has already been raised.

Brown would not be specific about the jobs lost, but said one employee had been at the institution for 16 years. The cutbacks will save $500,000 in annual personnel expenses. Severance packages are being worked out with all of the employees, he said, and senior managers will pick up the extra duties.

"There is not a crisis," he emphasized, and sent an e-mail to the staff saying his action "was not prompted by an emergency."

"We really had two options — to keep going pretty much at the level we're at now and potentially create a crisis a year from now, or make reductions to make sure we'll have a healthy museum."

Brown chose the latter, and told the staff: "This action was taken to address these fiscal challenges in a thoughtful and strategic manner and not find ourselves in an emergency in the future."

Of the federal money lost, $1 million comes from a staggered, two-year drop in money from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that had been appropriated to develop planetarium programs. The rest comes from federal money earmarked for the museum.

According to Brown, that latter amount reflects cutbacks that arts and cultural organizations are suffering nationwide as Congress looks at how to pay for the war in Iraq while also dealing with a sluggish economy.

"The economy and the war are part of what has affected a lot of the reduction in cultural programs," he said. "It reflects overall pressure downward on federal funding for programs, especially relating to culture and the humanities and education."

Brown said that in making choices of where to cut, the museum trimmed areas that did not specifically fit into its overall strategic plan. The plan has particular emphasis on culture and the environment, connecting to the schools, and providing access to museum collections.

This is not the first reduction in staff for the museum. About five years ago the institution lost almost $2 million in its state subsidy, which also forced a reduction. But Brown said there have been others, as well, in the past decade.

Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.