A N.C. House budget proposal brokered late this week brought at least a temporary measure of relief to community college officials and local police and fire chiefs alike.

As budget writers in recent weeks have grappled with growing deficits, they had considered axing waivers traditionally given to police, fire, EMS and other service agencies who take continuing education and other training courses at community colleges.

These waivers are valuable: police and fire agencies large and small have long relied on them to keep their officers current and certified. And there's real value to them; this year, Wake Technical Community College provides $2.47 million worth of free - or "waived" - courses to police, fire, EMS workers as well as prison inmates and senior citizens. Durham Technical Community College provides nearly $500,000 this year, and Alamance Community Technical College chips in $677,000.

That's a lot of training.

"The argument has been that these are folks who put their lives on the line," said Bill Ingram, Durham Tech's president. "Many of them must have this training on an ongoing basis."

 Durham Technical Community College is cutting costs this summer by adopting a four-day class schedule.

"Although we realize our employees may experience some hardships changing their schedule to work 10-hour days, they will also see some personal savings by traveling to work only four days a week instead of five," said Will Ingram, Durham Tech's president.

From May 11 to Aug. 6, the college will run day and evening classes on Mondays through Thursdays, with service areas open to the public from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on those days. The four-day, 40-hour a week summer schedule will not affect Friday and weekend instructional activities that do not rely on college facilities, such as clinical instruction in local hospitals, according to a statement issued by the college Wednesday.

The college is seeing cuts to the revenue it receives from both the state and Durham County. In January, county officials asked the college to return $140,000 from its current-year operating budget to help cover a budget deficit.

The four-day schedule is expected to yield significant savings, officials said. The utility cost savings alone are expected to top $30,000.

Traditionally, the college offers few Friday classes, so the move to the four-day schedule is expected to result in the cancellation or rescheduling of fewer than 10 credit courses. Last summer, the college closed at noon on Fridays.