Pasadena City College Faculty Association announces its endorsement for Board of Trustees, Area 1 & 7

September 14, 2009 – The Pasadena City College Faculty Association announced its endorsement for Pasadena City College District Board of Trustees in Area 1 today. The endorsement went to    Steven Gibson, an entrepreneur who launched a successful software company in 1999 and resides in Altadena. Gibson also has a history of advocating for educational and social causes as the director of the nonprofit Los Angeles Social Forum and the AARP.

The Association has also endorsed Beth Wells-Miller in Area 7. Miller has long supported faculty issues.

PCCFA Meeting May 21st—A Storm of Protest!

Whew!  What a meeting!  PCCFA called for staff and students to attend our regularly scheduled monthly meeting last Thursday, May 21st.  The main topic was to be the budget, and PCCFA Leadership Board hoped to address the college’s plan to cut 12% of its program and lay off scores of faculty, staff, and student workers.

Over 80 people attended and expressed outrage that the college was cutting so drastically despite having significant funds in reserve to weather the Sacramento budget storm.   Upon hearing the facts, students in particular were very angry that the college would act in such a cavalier manner, insensitive to increased educational needs during this time of economic crisis.  Who said, “Students are apathetic?”  Indeed, as faculty suggested a petition and possible demonstration at the June 3rd, Board of Trustees meeting, students wholeheartedly endorsed the plan.   Thus a new Faculty /Staff/Student Alliance has emerged to challenge the college’s educational irresponsibility!

What can you do?

**First, PCCFA encourages all students, teachers, and staff, to sign and circulate the petition.  The petition should be circulated in every office, every classroom, and every work space on campus.

**Second, come to an important Planning Meeting Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 Noon to 1 PM to develop both a long term strategy and an immediate tactical plan for the June 3rd  Board Meeting (place TBA).

**Third, be at the Board of Trustees Meeting at Harbeson Hall (entrance on Colorado Blvd). at 6 PM, Wed eve. June 3rd to protest the cuts.  

Fact:  PCC currently proposes cuts that amount to 12% of program or 250 sections lost over the course of academic year–summer 2009 through spring 2010.

Fact:  Twenty-five Part Time Math Faculty have been told they will have no class for fall semester, 2009. 

Fact:  PCC has by its own admission more than double the budget reserve required by state statute.  Five percent (for PCC approximately $7million) is required, but PCC keeps approximately $15 million or about 10-11%!  It refuses to touch that surplus. 

Fact:  PCC by its own admission has a $22 million (!) in its Self Insurance Fund that amounts to little more than a slush fund to transfer money in and out at the Board’s discretion. It refuses to utilize those funds to offset Sacramento’s cuts.

Fact:  PCC’s President has just received Board approval to hire an administrator to assist in running the daily affairs of the college—total costs to the college, $230,000. This hire flies in the face of a recent memo from California Community College Chancellor Jack Scott who advised colleges to freeze administration costs for the indefinite future.  

Fact:  PCC currently has budgeted over $200,000 for consultants’ fees for Vision 20/20, a wasteful expense when the college is cutting classes now!

Fact:  Consultants’ fees for the proposed high school on campus will be $75,000.

Fact: Only a determined effort by all faculty, staff, students, and concerned members of the community will prevent these draconian cuts from being implemented!

Petition to the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees

No Cuts!  No Layoffs!

(Draft)

We the undersigned students, staff, teachers, and members of the community demand that the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees expand program offerings and maintain all faculty and staff positions, including those of student workers, classified employees (full and part time), and teachers (full and part time). Thus, not only should there be no cuts in programs or layoffs of employees, but the college should fulfill its educational obligations, especially in these times of economic hardship. We strongly urge the Board of Trustees to make education its top priority and to demonstrate its commitment to PCC’s students, employees, and the community.  Not Cuts!  No layoffs!

Name                                             Status (student, staff, teacher,             Contact Info

Print            Signature                        member of the community)               (phone/email)

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PART TIME FACULTY

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE FOR PART TIME FACULTY

            This is a reminder from the Faculty Association that Part Time Faculty can receive unemployment benefits from the Employment Development Department (EDD) between semesters.  California Courts have ruled that part time faculty working at community colleges qualify to receive unemployment benefits because, even if they have an assignment for the next semester, they have no “reasonable assurance” that they will be working.  As all part time faculty know, they can be bumped from a class because of budget cutbacks, low enrollment, or scheduling conflicts with full time faculty.  Part time classes are even more uncertain given the deepening financial crisis in California.  Unemployment benefits are available for the period between the end of spring semester and the beginning of the fall semester fall and between fall semester and winter intersession or spring semester.  

            The Faculty Union recommends that all part time faculty apply for unemployment benefits immediately after the last day of the semester for Spring 2009 semester (the last day of final exams).  You can apply online at www.edd.ca.gov , or by phone at (800) 300-5616, though applicants have been having little success getting through by phone.

            Before applying, we recommend you visit the California Part Time Faculty Association’s website <www.cpfa.org>.and read , “Unemployment Benefits – Your rights and responsibilities.”   For a more comprehensive discussion of unemployment, on the same page,  under the ”Reports” section, see the “Community College Part Time Faculty Unemployment Compensation Handbook”.

            Unemployment benefits are your right, but you must be persistent in your initial application..  If you have questions, please call our office at 626-585-7261. 

Preston Rose, Adjunct, Vice President, Faculty Association

FACULTY ASSOCIATION SPONSORS PETTION FOR PART TIME OFFICE HOURS

            The Pasadena City College Faculty Association is sponsoring two petitions asking that the Administration provide paid office hours for the part time faculty.  One Petition is signed by Full Time Faculty and one petition is coming from the students of PCC.  The petitions say:

Resolve that the Full Time Faculty (or the Students of Pasadena City College) calls upon the Administration and the Board of Trustees of Pasadena City College to immediately implement a program that will provide Part Time Faculty with paid consultation time with their students.

            Pasadena City College is the last community college in the area that has not instituted some program to pay part time faculty for time spent outside of class conferring with students.   The ability of students to talk to their teachers about classroom activities outside of class is essential to insuring student success.  While PCC has an admirable record among community colleges, the lack of office hours for the almost 800 part time faculty remains a drag of improving student success.  In addition, the Union is concerned that the upcoming Accreditation process will look upon PCC’s failure to act on this pivotal issue as an impediment to fully meeting its educational mandate. 

            The petitions for the Full Time Faculty and for the Students of PCC are included here so that anyone can download copies and collect signatures.  Petitions with signatures can be returned to U-248, the PCC Faculty Association office.

PETITION FOR PART TIME FACULTY OFFICE HOURS

Resolve that the Full Time Faculty calls upon the Administration and the Board of Trustees of Pasadena City College to immediately implement a program that will provide Part Time Faculty with paid consultation time with their students. 

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PETITION FOR PART TIME FACULTY OFFICE HOURS

Resolve that the Students of Pasadena City College call upon the Administration and the Board of Trustees of Pasadena City College to immediately implement a program that will provide Part Time Faculty with paid consultation time with their students. 

NEW 67% RULE WILL BENEFIT PART-TIME FOREIGN LANGUAGE , MATH, AND ESL FACULTY

The California Legislature passed and the Governor signed on July 11 AB591. The new law changes the old 60% Rule by raising the maximum percentage of a full time load that a part time faculty member can work from 60% to 67%. The law will go into effect on January 1, 2009. This change most immediately affects faculty teaching 5 hour classes. With the new rule, these instructors will be able to teach two classes at the same college without exceeding their maximum allowed teaching load. Many foreign language, mathematics, and ESL instructors who teach 5 hour classes will benefit from this change.  Some part-time counselors and librarians will be able to work more hours as well.

The Faculty Association of Pasadena City College will negotiate with the Administration to introduce contract language that will implement this change into the faculty contract. The Faculty Association expects that part time faculty will begin teaching up to a maximum of 10 hours beginning in the Winter 2009 Intersession. Previous rulings make it clear that the new 67% Rule, like the former 60% Rule, applies only to classroom teaching in regular classes. Part time faculty can substitute, receive stipends, and work in all other capacities at the same college and in the same department without limit and still not violate the 67% Rule.

The old 60% rule, originally imposed more than twenty years ago, allowed part time faculty to teach no more than “60%” of a full time load. For example, in most departments at PCC, a full time faculty load is 15 classroom hours, so a part time faculty member could only teach 60% of that load, or 9 classroom hours. Those part time faculty who taught in departments that offered 5 hour classes were only able to teach one class per district. Raising the ceiling to 67% will allow them to teach two classes in the same district, thus reducing their need to commute and allowing them to work at a smaller number of colleges.

Originally, the sponsors of this bill, most notably the California Part Time Faculty Association, wanted to eliminate the ceiling entirely, allowing part time faculty to teach 80% or even 100% of a full time load at a single college. Other faculty advocates opposed this idea, arguing among other things that raising the allowable teaching level would encourage colleges to hire “part time” faculty to do full time teaching and would not gain part time faculty any additional benefits, such as parity pay or rights of rehire or access to benefits, while discouraging colleges from hiring more full time tenure track faculty. These arguments prevailed, so the compromise of 67% was finally agreed upon to correct at least one inequity of the present system. The future of the 67% Rule remains controversial, and most part time faculty still face work hardships and inconvenience as a result of the 67% Rule.