Natural History Museum Trying to Hold on to Science Staff

Hoping to avoid additional layoffs by launching an aggressive fund-raising campaign, officials with the San Diego Natural History Museum announced Tuesday that they are delaying the planned reduction of the facility’s scientific staff.

While the museum will retain the four scientific staff members, eight members of the administrative and development staff will be laid off Friday, as was previously announced.

“I am an optimist by nature. However, I’d say we’ve set a very difficult goal to achieve and time will tell whether we are able to accomplish it,” said Allan Shaw, interim executive director of the financially beleaguered museum.

The museum’s annual budget is about $2 million but because of a drop-off in admissions as well as contributions, the facility suffered about a $100,000 deficit last year, Shaw said. This week’s layoffs of eight employees will save the museum about $100,000 annually.

The 116-year-old museum, which has a 45-member staff, would have saved an additional $150,000 if officials had laid off the four scientific personnel, Shaw said. Instead, museum officials are banking on fund-raising efforts to raise at least $150,000.

“The key really is the community--the community has to respond with the necessary support,” Shaw said.

In late March, officials will meet to evaluate whether they can continue to afford paying their staff. Until the money is raised, the museum will tap its unrestricted reserve funds to sustain the scientific personnel. But if insufficient funds are raised, officials say, they will have to carry out those planned layoffs.

The museum’s previous executive director, Hal Mahan, was fired earlier this year by the board for “acting in a reckless and uninformed manner.” Mahan, however, was also credited with creating a master plan for the museum as well as bringing an acclaimed rain forest exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution. Mahan, who held his post for almost three years, was succeeded by Shaw.