12 College Teachers Granted Sabbaticals

Despite objections from one trustee that paid sabbatical leaves are not fiscally sound, 12 instructors from the county’s three community colleges will leave their campuses in the coming months to pursue independent studies.

The Ventura County Community College District board approved a dozen sabbatical leaves Tuesday night--relieving faculty members of their teaching duties to take on self-improvement projects ranging from a concert tour of Europe to a domestic study of women’s health issues.

The board is bound by its contract with the faculty union to approve a minimum of eight sabbaticals each year, but can approve as many as 3% of its total faculty. That means the current maximum is 12.

The cost of hiring instructors to replace the 12 instructors to begin their leaves this fall will be about $133,000, according to a staff report.

Given the cost, Trustee Allan Jacobs said he saw no reason to approve more than the eight sabbaticals mandated by the union contract. The additional four cost an added $50,000, he said.

“I was impressed by the particular depth and breadth of the sabbatical leaves,” he said. “But I do feel we have a problem with budgeting, so I don’t really think I can support the rest.”

Instructors on a one-semester sabbatical continue to receive their full salary while those on one-year leaves receive two-thirds of their normal income. Nine of the sabbaticals approved were for one semester. The remaining three are for the entire 1996-1997 academic year.

The board stopped short of approving three additional one-year sabbaticals, which Chancellor Philip Westin said would have cost the district an extra $104,000.