SUMMERVILLE, Ga. — The merger of technical colleges is just the beginning of changes that students and teachers may face as the state continues to face financial problems, Ron Jackson, commissioner of Georgia’s technical college system, said Thursday.

“This one, on the surface, it takes your breath away,” Mr. Jackson said of the plan to merge Northwestern Technical College with Coosa Valley Tech. “But not to do it, we lose faculty in class. That’s just not acceptable.”

The board of directors of the Technical College System of Georgia on Sept. 4 approved a plan to consolidate the administrations of 14 technical colleges into seven to save money.

The state already has used $600,000 of its reserves to avoid ending last year with a deficit and officials are looking at a nearly $2 billion shortfall this year.

Consolidating school administrations will save $3.5 million because it will eliminate the duplication of positions, officials said.

“The number of consolidations here and what we are doing as a system is driven greatly by the budget,” Mr. Jackson said.

Presidential and vice presidential positions will be eliminated, leaving each school one president and one provost.

The announcement has met some resistance because of fears that the consolidation will weaken the schools or the surrounding communities.

“It could happen, but it better not,” Mr. Jackson said, later adding that leadership changes would be made if, ultimately, the board members weren’t happy with the merger results.

President of Coosa Valley Technical College Craig McDaniel said he doesn’t think the areas’ economies will see adverse impacts as a result of the change.

The boards of directors from each school, who faced off divided by a long table at the first joint meeting Thursday, soon will be combined. The group is charged with making decisions such as who should be the president of the newly combined college and what its name should be.

Mr. Jackson said he is comfortable with Mr. McDaniel becoming the president of the combined school, with Mr. King as provost. But the board will ultimately make that decision.

While technical college officials currently are planning for 6 percent cuts, Mr. Jackson said that by October that figure could be 8 percent.

“If things do not turn around, we may be talking about 10 percent,” he said.

To deal with the cuts — in addition to the consolidation — other changes will be implemented, officials said.

Across the state there are 12 buildings on technical college campuses under construction that will not be complete until the budget crisis is averted, Mr. Jackson said.

Students also will face tuition increases. Although Mr. Jackson said he doesn’t think anyone will get “crazy” and propose preposterous hikes, he does expect an increase as early as January.

Currently technical colleges charge $36 per credit hour and Mr. Jackson expects that could be increased to around $41.

Despite a grim budget outlook, leaders said they are committed to providing services to students and their respective communities.

Northwestern board member Robert Hitchcox said the consolidation should be “seamless.”

Coosa Valley board Chairman Bob Berry echoed those sentiments.

“I assure all of you, we don’t have any heels dug into any sand on this issue,” he said.

MORE QUESTIONS

Commissioner Jackson said there are still issues to be worked out. Board members will have to decide where the main campus will be and who will be president. They will also have to decide on a name for the combined schools. There is informational technology kinks that need to be addressed and financial record keeping must be made consistent. Issues with student identification cards will also have to be addressed, Mr. Jackson said.

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