6. RESTRUCTURING CHARGES

During the past several years, we have carried out reductions in force related to the continued reorganization of our corporate and campus functions to better align with current total enrollments and made decisions to teach out a number of campuses, meaning gradually close the campuses through an orderly process. As part of the process to wind down these teach-out campuses, the Company also announced that it will align its corporate overhead to support a more streamlined and focused operating entity. Most notably, we have recorded charges within our Transitional Group and Culinary Arts segments and our corporate functions as we continue to align our overall management structure. Each of our teach-out campuses offer current students the reasonable opportunity to complete their course of study. The majority of these teach-out campuses are expected to cease operations by 2017 with the remainder expected to cease operations in 2018.

The following table details the changes in our accrual for severance and related costs associated with all restructuring events for our continuing operations during the quarters ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 (dollars in thousands):

Balance,

Beginning of

Period

Severance &

Charges ^{(1) (2)}

Payments

Non-cash

Adjustments ⁽³⁾

Balance,

End of

Period

For the quarter ended March 31, 2017

8,686

(1,889

)

(173

)

6,624

For the quarter ended March 31, 2016

18,985

215

(5,325

)

478

14,353

(1)	Includes charges related to COBRA and outplacement services which are assumed to be completed by the third month following an employee’s departure.

(2)	Severance charges will result in future cash payments through 2018.

(3)	Includes cancellations due to employee departures prior to agreed upon end dates, employee transfers to open positions within the organization and subsequent adjustments to severance and related costs.

The current portion of the accrual for severance and related charges was $5.5 million and $7.3 million, respectively, as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, which is recorded within current accrued expenses – payroll and related benefits; the long-term portion of $1.1 million and $1.4 million is recorded within other non-current liabilities on our condensed consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively.

In addition, as of March 31, 2017, we have an accrual of approximately $1.2 million related to retention bonuses that have been offered to certain employees. These amounts are recorded ratably over the period the employees are retained.

In addition to the charges detailed above, a number of the teach-out campuses will have remaining lease obligations following the eventual campus closure, with the longest lease term being through 2023. The total remaining estimated charge as of March 31, 2017, for all restructuring events reported within continuing operations related to the remaining lease obligation for these leases, once the campus completes the close process, and adjusted for possible lease buyouts and sublease assumptions is approximately $15 million - $20 million. The amount related to each campus will be recorded at each campus closure date based on current estimates and assumptions related to the amount and timing of sublease income. This is in addition to approximately $57.4 million of charges related to remaining obligations for continuing operations that were recorded during 2015 through the first quarter of 2017.

Remaining Lease Obligations of Continuing Operations

We have recorded lease exit costs associated with the exit of real estate space for certain campuses related to our continuing operations. These costs are recorded within educational services and facilities expense on our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income. The current portion of the liability for these charges is reflected within other accrued expenses under current liabilities and the long-term portion of these charges are included in other liabilities under the non-current liabilities section of our condensed consolidated balance sheets. Changes in our future minimum lease obligations for exited space related to our continuing operations for the quarters ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 were as follows (dollars in thousands):

Balance,

Beginning

of Period

Charges

Incurred ⁽¹⁾

Net Cash

Payments

Other ⁽²⁾

Balance,

End of

Period

For the quarter ended March 31, 2017

36,814

4,457

(5,999

)

(862

)

34,410

For the quarter ended March 31, 2016

12,892

3,098

(5,277

)

905

11,618

_____________

(1)Includes charges for newly vacated spaces and subsequent adjustments for accretion, revised estimates and variances between estimated and actual charges, net of any reversals for terminated lease obligations.

(2)Includes existing prepaid rent and deferred rent liability balances for newly vacated spaces that offset the losses incurred in the period recorded.