Side Letter Agreement:  Counseling

 

The District proposes to form a task force with AFT to create a plan that will implement the following:

 

·     Elimination of fixed student/counselor ratios as a determinant of workload;

·     Defining counseling as a discipline;

·     Defining “student contact” for counseling that is consistent with the FLC principles currently in use; and

·     Defining an FLC ratio for counseling that is consistent with the FLC principles applied to classroom faculty.

 

In addition the following items will be considered:

 

·     Flexible assignments within the normal work week

·     Re-defining the annual work calendar for counseling faculty.

 

The task force will be composed of four AFT and four management appointees for a total of eight members.  The task force members will 1) gather data, including broad consultation with the field; 2) hold discussion/dialogue sessions, 3) draft contract language recommendations, 4) gather feedback from the field on the recommendations, and 5) finalize recommendations on contract language and forward them to negotiations. Agreements reached under the provisions of this side letter require final joint approval by the chief negotiators for the District and AFT before becoming effective and must be made by December 1, 2001.  Faculty members who serve on the task force and are required to work outside the 175 day academic calendar will be compensated at the special rate or on a per diem basis per Article 8, Pay and Allowances.

Side Letter Agreement:  Extended Professional Development Leave

 

For the 2001-2002 academic year the District agrees to fund, as outlined below, an extended professional development program.  During that time the Union also agrees to participate in a comprehensive review of all professional development programs for faculty.  Such a review will include the Academic Senate and administration.  This agreement will sunset at the end of the one-year program.  Any proposed changes to current contract  language that result from the comprehensive review will be negotiated as an automatic opener.  The following procedures will be used to implement this agreement:

 

1.   Nature and Purpose:  Extended professional development leave is intended to provide full release from regular duties and enable unit members to respond to changing educational conditions and to engage in substantive professional growth projects.  Extended leaves allow time for advanced formal coursework, independent study, work experience, programs of study and/or research and other beneficial activities which do not fall under regular faculty responsibilities.

 

2.   Eligibility:  Any full-time faculty member who has completed six years of continuous service with the District directly preceding the leave request is eligible.  Any reduced workload from full-time employment beyond one academic year constitutes a break in continuous service.  District authorized paid leaves will not constitute a break in service.

 

3.   Distribution:  For the academic year 2001-2002 only, leaves will be funded for a total of $100,000, $50,000 of Professional Development funds combined with $50,000 of Partnership For Excellence funds from the District.  These funds will be divided among the three campuses and distributed according to the ratio of the numbers of regular academic and third-and fourth-year tenure track academic employees at each college, including faculty with reduced loads.

 

4.   Options:  Leaves will be for a full academic year or a semester.

 

5.   Compensation:  Unit members will receive 80% of their regular salary plus all benefits, including retirement credits and seniority accrual, as well as all other rights enjoyed by full-time members of the unit.  Unit members may use previously banked time to bring their compensation up to100% during a leave. 

 

6.   Replacement:  Part-time faculty will be used as a replacement for a full-time unit member’s leave.  Part-time faculty may have an assignment up to 60% of a full-time load as an extended professional leave replacement.

 

7.   Approved Activities:  Applications will be considered according to one or more of the following categories and all categories will be considered equal in value and in rank:

·     Retraining of applicant to allow for future new assignment in a needed area;

·     Study, project or activity that provides the applicant with opportunities to upgrade skills and knowledge for current or future assignments;

·     Study, project or activity for the improvement of curriculum, educational delivery, student personnel services or other support services;

·     Study, project or activity for development or revision of a certificate or degree program;

·     Study, project or activity related to feasibility or revision of new or existing programs.

 

8.   Selection of Candidates:  The Professional Development Committee on each campus, with the addition of one Academic Senate representative, will review all applications and make recommendations.  The Chairperson will be a faculty member chosen by the Committee.  Each member has one vote.  A majority (three votes) is required to pass on a leave request. The college President reviews the Committee’s selections and forwards them to the Board of Trustees for final approval.  Applicants whose requests have been denied by the Committee shall be informed, in writing, of the reasons for denial.           

 

9.   Factors for Determining Candidates:  Recommendations for leaves will be governed by the following factors in the order listed:

·     Seniority

·     Potential of future service to the District and students

·     Relative merits of application

 

10. Application Procedures:  Eligible faculty must apply by April 2001 on standard forms to the Professional Development Committee on their campus.  Each application must be accompanied by: 

·     an outline of the planned project, program, activity or work experience containing a statement of purpose and objectives;

·     a description of the activities involved;

·     a plan for sharing or applying the results of the activity.

 

11. Return from Leaves:  Each leave recipient will file with the Professional Development Committee within thirty (30) days after return to regular teaching duties one or more of the following, providing evidence of having met the objectives stated in the initial application:

·     A transcript of courses taken and grades earned

·     A report on the educational benefits of project or activity undertaken                        

·     A description of plans for application of new skills and knowledge to teaching assignment and/or campus program

·     Letter from an employer verifying work experience

·     Samples of creative work, summary of research, and other evidence of original work produced as a result of leave. 

 

The Professional Development Committee may request further evidence beyond that which is submitted by the recipient which must be submitted within two weeks of the Committee’s request.

 

12. Return Obligation: Recipients must work for the District for two years after returning from a leave.

Side Letter Agreement:  Medical Stipend for Part-Time Faculty, Spring 2001

 

For the Spring 2001 semester, the District will provide a stipend for partial reimbursement of employee incurred health benefits costs to all part-time hourly academic employees employed at 40% or more of a full-time load (6/15 FLC).  The stipend is only available if a faculty member completes a 40% load. 

 

For the Fall 2000 and Spring 2001 semesters the stipend shall be $388.  The stipend shall be used to reimburse part-time faculty who qualify for reimbursement for premium costs only from enrollment in any HMO, PPO, or indemnity health plan licensed and registered by either the California Department of Insurance or the California Department of Corporations.

Employees wishing to be reimbursed for medical expenses under this agreement must initiate the request on a District form. The employee must furnish documentation (cancelled check, paid statement) showing that the employee had been purchasing health insurance during the Spring 2001 semester period, and the employee was otherwise not eligible for reimbursement from any other source. This request is to be submitted only to the Division Dean at the College where the employee receives his/her paycheck.  The Division Dean will forward the request to the Director of Human Resources for approval and processing of the reimbursement.

 

The request for reimbursement must be submitted by April 30, 2001 to be eligible for the stipend.  The stipend will be paid to all eligible employees in May 2001.  This agreement sunsets June 30, 2001.

Side Letter Agreement:  Technology and Distance Learning Issues

 

The District and AFT agree to continue the Joint Committee on Technology and Distance Learning Issues.  Those issues will be discussed and investigated by the Committee and a report submitted to the parties during the 2001-2001 negotiations.  The Committee may make recommendations to the parties on issues and concerns related to technology and distance learning.  Negotiations regarding any recommendations/report of the Committee shall not constitute a reopener as specified in Article 23.2 of the agreement.