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Massachusetts Community College Council |
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NEWSLETTER |
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Volume XIII |
June, 1994 |
Number Eleven |
In This Issue:
The Senate budget contained an increase in the higher education budget, an early retirement study, and credit for working in nonpublic schools. Once the debate has concluded, the budget will move to the Conference Committee that will work out the differences. When the conferees are named, the MCCC will notify each campus as to the needed political action from the membership. The following are the highlights of the Senate budget.
Higher Education. The Senate increased the higher education budget by 5.5% over last year and nearly 3% over the House. All budgets were segmental as op posed to the House's line item by campus. The House had no tuition retention; the Senate gave tuition retention to the University only.
Early Retirement. Much to our chagrin, the Senate has put forth the same study bill sent to the legislature last fall. This bill calls for a study of retirements over the past four years with specific legislation to be filed for early retirement. In its present form, the provisions are the same as all former bills--five years of service, five years of age, or a combination not to exceed five years. The proposed window period is March 15 to April 15 with all retirement by June 30, 1995. The cost of the program again shifts to the individual colleges, but the impact on the budget is in fiscal 1996.
"Nun's Bill." Last year the legislature passed a bill for K-12 employees that allowed them to buy credit toward retirement if they worked as a teacher or administrator in a nonpublic school before 1973. Eligibility for this credit is predicated on no social security or retirement deductions from the paycheck. This outside section amends the law by extending this benefit to higher education employees. Employees who fall into this category can buy back up to ten years of service.
Sabbatical Leave. In July 1991 the State Retirement Board stopped allowing credit toward retirement for [first] sabbatical leaves of full year, half pay. This credit was routinely allowed before 1991.
MTA Amendments. Working with the Higher Education Leadership Council, the MTA has submitted the following amendments to the Senate budget.
Membership Political Action. There are several issues in
this year's budget that affect all of our unit members. Calls will be
needed to the Conference Committee members. Each chapter president
will be notified of the details, and we need as much participation as
possible. We expect the governor to again veto the early retirement
bill, if changed, thereby moving us into political action activities
geared toward an override.
• At Roxbury Community College, a unit member grieved the calculation of her seniority. After teaching at the college every semester for three years, she was notified that she had attained reappointment rights but had zero seniority. As the grievance progressed, the Union found that the college did not begin to count seniority for any DCE unit member until after he or she had reached the reappointment threshold. Since this practice impacted all DCE faculty at the College, the MCCC joined the grievance.
Although this violation appears only technical in nature because all faculty were treated equally, the possibility exists that the appointment process could be affected negatively. For example, if a person taught two or more courses per year for three years, they should enter the reappointment pool with three years seniority. Under its system, the college would show zero seniority. Another individual, however, may have taught five courses in three years-- two in the first year, one in the second year, and two in the third year. Since the contract allows for the accrual of one year seniority for two or more courses taught in a fiscal year, the unit member in the latter case would only have two years seniority. Using the college's system, this individual would also have zero seniority. The possibility of error is further compounded when unit members teach in multiple work areas.
The college has agreed to correct the situation and will recalculate the seniority for all DCE faculty by August 15, 1994.
• A grievance at Bunker Hill Community College was settled regarding classroom evaluations of unit members already in the seniority pool. The contract requires classroom observations prior to a unit member entering the reappointment pool. Once that threshold is reached, a classroom evaluation can only be done for written reasons. The criteria for pool status are five courses over three consecutive fiscal years and an evaluation on file. The contract does not specify the type of evaluation. This issue was compounded when the MCCC learned that faculty records were misplaced and there are two evaluations from two different administrators.
An agreement has been reached where the college will not conduct classroom observations except under the circumstances out lined in the contract. The MCCC Grievance Officer, Joe Rizzo, will meet with the Divisional Dean to determine which classroom observation will remain on file. It is the intention of the MCCC to contact the affected faculty to solicit their views on this action.
If you have any questions concerning the DCE contract, contact
MCCC DCE Grievance Coordinator Joe Rizzo.
The MTA will hold its Summer Leadership Conference August 15-19 at Williams College in Williamstown. The MCCC has 30 grants available for unit members interested in attending the conference.
The higher education track will begin with a luncheon on Wednesday, and the Chancellor of Higher Education Stanley Koplik will be the keynote speaker.
Conference applications have been mailed to all chapter presidents and directors. All applications must be submitted to Tom Parsons 11 Cottonwood Road, Wellesley, MA 02181 no later than July 6, 1994. Do not send to MTA.
The tentative schedule of some workshops are: MCCC Grievance;
School to Work and Higher Education; Who Owns the Products of
Technology: Intellectual Property Rights with Linda Enghagen, U.
Mass. Amherst; Traveling Through the Internet with Ron Miller; and
Recertification: How Higher Education, K-12, and CEU's Can Work
Together.
At Springfield Technical Community College's graduation this year, Ernest Therrien, a professor of Business, and a union leader received the Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year Award from the College
President Andrew Scibelli, in his remarks about Ernest, said, "As an educator, Professor Therrien is known and respected by students and colleagues alike as a gifted and inspiring teacher. He brings a depth of knowledge, wit, and personality to the courses he teachers and truly makes the material come alive. Ernest makes continued efforts to keep his classes current with the changing business environment and makes his students aware of the ethical and humanitarian issues in the world of work.
"... On the statewide and national levels, Ernest served on the
Board of Regents Task Force on Continuing Education and the Board of
Directors of the Massachusetts Community College Council. He has also
served on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Teachers
Association. Ernest is currently serving a second three- year term as
a member of the Board of Directors for the National Education
Association-one of four members elected from Massachusetts and the
first ever director from higher education."
The following committees have vacancies. Anyone interested in applying must submit an application by September 21, 1994, to MCCC President Tom Parsons.
The vacancies within the community colleges are easily accessible on the MTA Bulletin Board System (BBS). You can read, download, and/or print these vacancies at your terminal. If you do not have access to a modem, a printout can be faxed to you. Fax your request to the Communications Coordinator at 617- 236-0448. You must include the name of the college(s) where you work.
to access the BBS from within Massachusetts dial 1-800-523- 8883.
(enter your baud, 8 data bits; 1 stop; NONE parity). Enter your name
and password. Sequence: Check for New File (N); LWBulletin-Q(uit) and
enter. F(ile); 6 (Vacancies in community colleges); (F)files in this
area; (V)iew and type in full number on last entry e.g. 11-01-94.
Specific questions about the bulletin board go to the systems
operator (SYSop) Ron Miller, preferably through the BBS. Questions
about a particular aspect of a job go to the individual
colleges.
In the May issue of the Newsletter, a letter from President Bartley to the other community colleges presidents was printed. Unbeknownst to us at the time, the Collective Bargaining Subcommittee of the Presidents' Counsel had sent a letter to Administration and Finance concerning monies for collective bargaining. Why this subcommittee chose silence rather than letting us know they were attempting to get permission to make a money offer at the table remains a mystery. Nevertheless, if the Union and the Presidents can work together, maybe we can secure a commitment for funding. The letter is reprinted here for your information.
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April 14, 1994
Joseph Trainer, Assistant Secretary Dear Mr. Trainer: As per our recent telephone conversation, the Community College Presidents have researched salaries on a national level as well as statewide. The analysis (enclosed) clearly demonstrates that community college faculty continue to lag behind in virtually all categories. It is our contention that, comparatively speaking, our faculty are highly productive professionals whose main functions include teaching, advising, and college service. It is no secret that, based on the mission of community colleges, we tend to be no-nonsense teaching/learning institutions with a direct and measurable impact on our local economies. As members of the Presidents Collective Bargaining Subcommittee, we are authorized to proceed with discussions relative to financial issue so that we may proceed with the bargaining process. It is no surprise that the Union is hesitant to move ahead with serious negotiations until such time as we are able to "put some money on the table." The fifteen presidents unanimously support the position that we be authorized to offer a 5 % / 5% / 5% three-year financial package. We believe that this is a fair and just package given the statistics accompanying this letter. Frankly, it was startling to learn that the average teacher salary in K- 12 in Massachusetts is $37,845 -- higher than all but our full professor average salary! We fully appreciate your willingness to discuss these issues with the Subcommittee and look forward to meeting with you.
Enclosures: |
Under the Education Reform Act (ERA) of 1993, all teachers no longer have lifetime certification. The ERA mandated recertification every five years through Continuing Education Units (CEU's) obtained through credit course work or workshops.
Since there are a number of higher education employees who hold
K-12 certification, they, too, will have to be recertified if they
want to keep their credentials) active. The Department of Education
will be finalizing the guidelines for recertification this summer.
Since K-12 teachers are immediately impacted, the MTA will focus on
getting them fully informed. The August edition of the Newsletter
will have an update of the requirements and procedures.
A unit member from Cape Cod Community College was successful on
appeal of her unemployment benefits case. Similar to another case
from the Cape, the claim was originally denied. The college's
rationale was that there was a "reasonable assurance" of future
employment because the college had given her a tentative DCE
assignment for the subsequent semester. This case was interesting
because the claimant was often assigned many courses, some ran and
some were canceled. The fact that DCE assignments can and do get
canceled, however, provided the basis for the hearing officer to
decide that the claimant was eligible for unemployment benefits
between semesters.
Articles and Graphic Designs Wanted for Journal° Articles. Dr. Peter Meggison from Massasoit from Massasoit Community College, chair of the community college interdisciplinary Journal, The Scholar, has sent a letter to all chapter presidents asking them to distribute a request for articles for the first edition. The journal, due out in the Fall, will be an academic sampler. If any unit member has published an article that he or she would like to have printed in the journal, Please contact Peter Meggison at Massasoit (One Massasoit Boulevard, Brockton, MA 02402). ° Graphic Design. A letter was sent to
Graphic Arts Department Chairs in the community college
inviting unit members to submit a cover design for the
journal. Anyone interested in submitting a Proposal should
contact the Journal editor, Catherine Boudreau for the
criteria for the design. Award: $300 plus credit in the
journal. |
these Women? |
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MCCC President Tom Parsons has managed to find over 500 women due monies from the equity suit. He has whittled the list down to only four women who cannot be found. Their money, if not claimed, will revert to the Commonwealth. If you have any recollection of these women, please contact Tom Parsons immediately. Berkshire Helen Jones, Rosemary Munroe, Peggy Vannicelli, |
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June 23 |
Spring 1995 sabbatical proposals due |
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June 30 |
Part-time faculty summary evaluation due for third-year employees |
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July 1 |
Professional staff pre-evaluation conference |
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July 1 |
Professional staff work assignment received |
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July 15 |
Professional staff vacation days released |
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July 23 |
Leave of absence applications for spring 1995 due |
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July 23 |
Committee recommendations due for spring 1995 sabbaticals |
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Aug. 8 |
Part-time teaching assignments |
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Aug. 15 |
Part-time seniority lists distributed |
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Editor: MCCC/MTA Newsletter |
The MCCC Newsletter is a publication of the Massachusetts Community College Council. The Newsletter is intended to be an information source for the members of the MCCC and for other interested parties. The material in this publication may be reprinted with the acknowledgment of its source. For further information on issues discussed in this publication, contact Catherine Boudreau, Massasoit Community College, Brockton, MA 02402. |
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