Colleges, Faculty Union Agree on Pay Package

Grappling with a projected $8-million budget shortfall, the Ventura County Community College District and its faculty union have tentatively agreed on a financial package that would avoid any job losses to full-time teachers, officials said Tuesday.

The union would cover its share of concessions with savings from incentive-driven faculty retirements this year, one-year reductions in travel and stipends and a salary rollback for one year, officials said.

The amount of the rollback would be calculated in July and readjusted in the new fiscal year based on savings from retirements and anticipated state budget cuts.

“The possible rollback in salary could be potentially expensive to our members,” said Larry Miller, president of the 400-member Ventura County Federation of College Teachers. But so far the union’s e-mail response to the settlement has been running about 10 to 1 in favor, he said.

In a message to members this week, Ruth Hunt, executive director of the American Federation of Teachers, of which the local federation is a member, underscored the main issue: “The most important aspect of the package is protection of faculty jobs.” The union’s full membership will vote on the deal next Wednesday, after trustees sign off on the proposed concessions. The pact also includes a provision that calls for the district to reduce management costs by its proportional share of the overall budget.

Specifically, the agreement with the union calls for a $25,000 one-time payment to full-time faculty members who submit a letter of retirement within 30 days of the deal’s ratification. Those members would have to retire no later than Aug. 11. Based on projections, salary rollbacks for faculty members would amount to 4.26%, officials said. That figure assumes roughly 30 retirees. If there are more retirees and the district’s state budget allocations are higher than anticipated, the amount of the salary rollback would be decreased.

Gov. Gray Davis has targeted the state’s 108 community colleges as he attempts to erase an estimated $35-billion budget shortfall. Statewide, community colleges would face a 28% drop in general fund revenue for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1.

As a result, local trustees have been scrambling for ways to close the projected budget gap.