Catawba Valley Community College laid off 27 employees in the past week, due to what school officials said is decreased enrollment and a budget shortfall. President Garrett Hinshaw said the community college had to decrease its budget by $1.3 million and the layoffs helped the school reach that goal. Meanwhile, CVCC’s four highest-paid employees are also among the top nine highest-earning public employees in Catawba County, according to salary data supplied by CVCC and local governments. In 2022, the combined raises for CVCC’s top four earners was nearly $66,000, including a $20,628 raise for Hinshaw.