Lane Community College Education Association

LCC Faculty Colleagues,

I hope the first week of the term is going well for you. I’m writing with a brief update regarding the college budget and Monday’s Board of Education Special meeting.

Budget Update

On Friday of finals week, the College Council held a special meeting to consider the Budget Development Subcommittee’s budget proposal. The Council approved a consensus-based, balanced budget incorporating, in large part, the recommendations of the Budget Development Subcommittee. The proposal included a $4.50 per credit tuition increase as well as a number of other budget reduction measures, all of which would avoid involuntary layoffs or program eliminations. In addition to tuition, the budget incorporates state funding at the level proposed by the Ways and Means Co-Chairs ($590M), which amounts to an approximate $1.6M increase over two years for LCC, along with a modest increase in anticipated property tax revenue. Additional measures to balance the budget include eliminating last year’s increase to major maintenance funding, a reduction in Materials and Services budgets, particularly travel, as well as some savings from budgeted vacancies.

Administration Budget Proposal

The Administration presented a budget to the Board of Education that aligns with the College Council proposal with one notable exception. (See https://www.lanecc.edu/sites/default/files/budget/4.1.19_boe_materials_v2.pdf ) The Administration has requested that the Board of Education consider outsourcing the bookstore at their regular April 11 meeting. (The Board had voted not to outsource in March, but did so without receiving a budget update.) In addition, the Administration has recommended a review and restructure of the Health Clinic model but not a closure of the clinic.

Board of Education Special Meeting, Monday, April 1

The primary agenda item for Monday’s Board of Education Special meeting was tuition. In previous meetings, Board members had pressed the Administration to clearly and specifically identify what the impacts would be without a tuition increase. Both President Hamilton and Vice President Jarrell clearly and eloquently articulated the importance of maintaining focus on the college mission and our primary function as an institution of higher education, noting that instruction and critical student services are the very last place that should be considered for budget reductions. However, due to the questions raised in previous meetings about specific impacts that might result without sufficient revenue, the Administration’s presentation included notes about the types of programs that would be impacted if there were not sufficient revenue generated by tuition or other means to cover regular, continued operating expenses.

In a meeting with Association representatives yesterday, the administration made clear that they are not currently proposing or planning to reduce the programs that they provided as examples to the Board on Monday. These programs include: Nursing, Dental Hygiene, Dental Assisting, Flight Technology, Culinary Arts and Hospitality, Medical Assisting, Welding, and Drafting.

Tuition

While a $4.50 per credit is significant, it represents a 4% increase. This is roughly the increase that had been tied to a $647M allocation for community colleges in the governor’s investment budget. Thus, because the expected state allocation is only $590M, the tuition increase is substantially less than what would be needed to bridge the funding gap. It mitigates only 11% of the projected deficit at Lane and is substantially less than the 5-10% increases that other community colleges are considering adopting for next year.

In addition, Vice President Paul Jarrell presented a Tuition Recommendation document to the Board: See BoE Tuition 4.1.19.  The document includes a summary of the cost of attendance for independent, full-time students. While tuition continues to increase, the largest expenses for students, generally, are housing. As you may be aware, the OEA has been active in legislative efforts to ameliorate escalating housing costs, which impact many of our members as well as students and their families.

The Board ultimately voted 6-1 to approve the proposed $4.50/ credit tuition increase.

Next Steps

The Board of Education is scheduled to meet next Thursday to consider the bookstore and the projected budget deficit, among other agenda items. Regular Board and Budget Committee meetings will continue in May until the final budget is officially adopted in June.

Job Security

While no programs are currently proposed for elimination, the budget cycle does often raise questions about job security for faculty — both part-time and full-time. If you are a part-time faculty, the Association recommends that you consider seeking assignments in more than one department, discipline, or accrual family, if qualified. If you are a contracted faculty member, the Association recommends that you seek certification for additional courses or positions and verify that all such courses are listed on the official RIF lists that are printed every October. If nothing else, these measures may provide peace of mind during the annual budget cycle.

Volunteer Interest

Many hands make light work! As you likely know the LCCEA is almost entirely a volunteer organization. There are many ways to participate and contribute to the the Association and for the benefit of all faculty, our college community, and state… even if for one hour per year. If you wish to volunteer at some time now or in the future, please take a couple of minutes to fill out the interest survey at: https://forms.gle/7SvEp48qnKByrhfW9 Thank you to part-time faculty member, John Groves, for developing the survey and serving as an LCCEA organizer.

Regards,

Adrienne

Dear Colleagues,
I’m writing with a brief update regarding the college budget and Board of Education meetings, especially in light of the Eugene Weekly article published today regarding the Board’s regular meeting last week, which is the impetus for this email.

College Budget and Deficit
As you are likely aware, there is a projected budget deficit for next year. The projected deficit increased from approximately $6.8 million to approximately $8.5 million last week due to updated projections and estimates of the percentage allocation that Lane will receive from the state CCSF (Community College Support Fund). These figures represent the projected deficit from the college general fund budget (Funds I and IX) of approximately $90 million and from a total college budget (all funds) of approximately $209 million. There are a large number of factors that will ultimately impact the budget, including the allocation by the state legislature for the next biennium (beginning July 1 of this year).

On a positive note, the state Ways and Means Co-Chairs released a budget that would increase funding for community colleges from what was proposed in the governor’s base budget of $543 million to $590 million, also an increase over the $570 million allocation for this biennium. $590 million is not sufficient, but it is the figure already in use in the college budget projections. OEA and OCCA, for example, have jointly asked for $787 million ($646 million + $70 million for expanding CTE programs + $70 million for additional student support services).

The College Council Budget Development Subcommittee has continued to meet collaboratively every week in order to develop a balanced budget proposal on track with its goal of presenting a balanced proposal at the regular April 11 Board meeting.

Board of Education Decisions and Process Last Week
The usual timeline provides that the Board of Education makes decisions about tuition increases in November or December for the academic year that begins the subsequent summer. This year the Board did not make a decision and requested that the College Council Budget Development Subcommittee (BDS) develop a proposal. Committee members presented a unanimous tuition proposal at the February meeting, and the Administration requested that the Board make a decision at the March meeting.

The March meeting, last Thursday, lasted until 11 p.m. Board members considered possible tuition increases but made no decision. They voted to outsource campus food services and voted not to outsource the campus bookstore. The meeting process diverged significantly from regular practice in that the Board members voted to consider these three items without following their own regular agenda and without allowing college administrators to present their budget update. The Board members asked questions about the budget but, because of the Board decision to change the agenda, they did not receive a presentation about the 19-page budget update prepared by the administration for the meeting.

In addition, the Board has scheduled a special meeting set for Monday, April 1 at 4 p.m. in CML 104 in order to provide time for public comment, especially from students, on a tuition increase. It is unclear what else will be on the agenda, if the Board will make any decisions on that date on tuition or any other items, or if presentations by the administration or Budget Development Subcommittee will be included on the agenda.

It is important to note that at this time, there are no proposed program or service cuts impacting faculty under consideration. The administration has not proposed to cut any program or service that includes faculty members. However, administrators have explained to the Board of Ed that without budget decisions, including a decision on tuition, they will be forced to propose such cuts. It is unclear if the Board will request that the Administration make such proposals.

Due to contract timelines, the Administration has provided notice to the Association of the possibility of a reduction in force and has scheduled a meeting with Association representatives for early in Spring term in order to discuss alternatives, consistent with Article 10.2 of the contract. This notice is a general one and does not specify programs or positions that would be reduced if the Administration is forced to make such proposals.

Ensuing College Budget Process
As a result of the new special meeting called by the Board for April 1, the Budget Development Subcommittee with representatives from administration, staff, faculty, managers, and students held a seven-hour meeting yesterday to finalize a balanced budget proposal, which will go to College Council tomorrow with a goal of presenting a balanced proposal to the Board on April 1. The proposal includes some increased revenues, namely tuition, as well as expense reductions, and budget reductions that obviate involuntary separations. The meeting, albeit lengthy, was productive and collaborative.

May Elections
A reminder — four positions on the Board of Education are up for election in May. At present LCCEA has endorsed a single candidate, Lisa Fragala. LCCEA Legislative Action Committee and Executive Council members voted unanimously in support of Lisa’s candidacy. Lisa is an experienced educator in Eugene, an active EEA member, and OEA Board member. She advocates tirelessly for funding for education and has been one of our most vocal Board members advocating for community college funding in Salem and with local legislators.

Save the Date
May 8 is the OEA statewide day of action to call on legislators to fully fund education, details TBA.

More information will be forthcoming in April about all of the above.

In the meantime, despite the uncertainties, I believe the college is moving on a positive trajectory. Much needed changes will transform the college and will certainly take time, but I have hope for what the future will bring.

I hope you can set all this aside and enjoy spring break.

Faculty Colleagues,

I hope that your return to campus after the winter storm has gone smoothly for both you and your students.  Many homes remain without power in Lane County, and some members of the LCC community continue to experience hardship. 

Mini-Grants for Your Students
Please keep in mind, especially at this time, that your LCCEA/OEA membership also provides an important resource for students – the OEA Foundation provides grants of up to $100 to students for needs such as clothing, books, transit, eyeglasses, medical care, etc. Any LCCEA member may apply for a grant to benefit any LCC student. The guidelines and short online application are available at: https://www.oregoned.org/oea-foundation/apply-for-a-grant . Please do not hesitate to contact the Association with any questions or concerns that you may have.

Important Association Announcements
As we approach the end of Winter term, I’m writing with some brief updates regarding the following:

• an LCCEA membership meeting next week,
• faculty rights,
• part-time coaches,
• compensation,
• workload,
• the college budget,
• funding for community colleges,
• part-time faculty spotlight,
• LCC Board of Education endorsement, and more. 

LCCEA Membership Meeting: Thursday, March 14, 3:00-4:30 p.m. CEN 402

All LCCEA members are cordially invited to attend a meeting on Thursday, March 14, 3:00-4:30 in CEN 402. Topics will include bargaining and the college budget, among others.

Know Your Rights

Faculty members have a right to an Association representative at any meeting for which they have a reasonable belief that discipline may result. These rights, called Weingarten Rights, apply to any employee who is a member of a bargaining unit in the U.S. and to any type of meeting that may be investigatory in nature.

In addition, our contract provides in Article 25.10 that the College will provide notice about this right in any meeting that may lead to discipline. This provision also requires that the College will accommodate the Association and faculty member when scheduling such a meeting.

Through a formal information request, the Association has learned about some irregular meetings and contacts with faculty members, which would require notice of the right to representation.  The Association and College have reached a resolution such that the College will communicate with managers about the requirement to provide notice to the faculty member about the right to have a representative present. Faculty members may invoke this right any time they have a reasonable belief that discipline may result or that they are asked to any type of investigatory meeting.

Part-time Coaches Grievance Resolution

The Association collaboratively resolved a grievance stemming from the posting of part-time faculty coaching positions in a newly created “extra duty/ non-credit” category that was not negotiated. The agreement reached with the College provides that some FTE will be attributed to part-time coaching work and remedies concerns that part-time faculty coaches were being excluded from the bargaining unit and denied benefits and protections associated with faculty status. 

While the grievance resolution does not impact stipends for part-time coaches, which continue to be disproportionately low and paid at rates below the part-time faculty salary schedule, the Association intends to address compensation in bargaining. 

Overall, the resolution represents significant progress in labor-relations, both in substance and process.

Compensation 

In order to comply with the contract and state statutes, the College must pay salary to faculty members according to the collective bargaining agreement. Beyond curriculum development work and modest FPD stipends, the official salary schedules for part-time faculty, part-time Flight Tech faculty, and full-time faculty are the rates that apply to faculty members. If you receive any compensation that does not align with the current salary schedules, please do not hesitate to contact the Association.

All faculty members will receive compensation as if they had worked their regular schedules during the college closure last week. This includes part-time Flight Tech faculty, for whom the Association reached a resolution about snow day compensation today.

Workload 

The Joint Workload Taskforce continues to make progress codifying maximum assignable workloads for each department / program, albeit slowly. Changes in workload require mutual agreement of the College and Association. While an individual faculty member may decide to allow an additional student or two to register for a particular section, the college may not unilaterally increase workload for faculty members by any means, including by department decision or straw poll. Under state law, the employer and union must negotiate such changes.

College Budget

The College Budget, Finance, and Planning office is projecting a $6.8M deficit for next year. There are many moving pieces that contribute to uncertainty about the budget including: the total state allocation for community colleges, the percentage LCC will receive of that allocation, property taxes, OPE rates, and more. While $6.8M does represent a significant percentage of the College’s general fund (Funds I and IX), which totals $88-90M, the total College budget in all funds is approximately $209M. 

The College Council Budget Development Subcommittee (BDS) has been meeting weekly and working collaboratively to develop a consensus budget proposal that would balance the budget without involuntary layoffs. Committee representatives read a unanimous statement on behalf of the committee to the Board of Education at the meeting in February (attached).

On a positive note, LCC’s enrollment has been holding steady at 1.5% down from last year. At the same time other large community colleges in the state have seen much more significant enrollment decreases this year (4% or more). This will ultimately result in an increase in LCC’s percentage of the state allocation in the future. In addition, numerous vacant positions are built into the budget and comprise approximately $3.6M of the $6.8 M deficit. The projected deficit also includes increased emergency major maintenance funding carried over from this year into next year, which, once adjusted to regular levels, will mitigate the deficit.

Please attend the LCCEA membership meeting next week for more on the college budget.

Advocacy for Funding for Community Colleges

Advocating for community college funding is critical at this time. The legislature will be in session through June determining funding for the next two years. While Governor Kate Brown’s investment budget would provide a significant boost for community colleges with an allocation of $646.7M, the base budget proposal is only $543M, which represents a 4.7% decrease for community colleges. Increasing state revenue is crucial.

The LCC Board of Education is collaborating with the LCCEA and passed a resolution for increased revenue and increased community college funding by unanimous vote. This resolution (attached) is part of a coordinated statewide effort of the OEA to increase funding for education – numerous K-12 and community college boards are passing similar resolutions.

In addition, a good number of LCC faculty attended the March for Education along with 5,000 education supporters in the state capitol on President’s Day. LCC Administrators, President Marge Hamilton and Vice President Paul Jarrell along with Board members, Lisa Fragala, Matt Keating, and Rosie Pryor, joined part-time and full-time faculty, among others from Lane, in this historic event. Administrators, board members, and ASLCC leaders also joined faculty for afternoon meetings with Governor Kate Brown and state senators and representatives. (Photos attached — please note the administrators and board members joined faculty in wearing OEA #RedforEd t-shirts at the rally!)

We shared information (attached) about the need for increased funding for community colleges, highlighting the impacts on students, programs, and staff of potential budget cuts, and emphasizing the working conditions of part-time faculty in the state. We also provided copies of the LCC Board’s resolution.

Part-time Faculty Spotlight: Joe Bowles

Part-time Chemistry faculty member, Joe Bowles was OEA’s featured educator last month. Joe shared his story in order to help OEA advocate for community college funding and faculty interests. OEA staff featured Joe’s story (attached), sharing it with legislators at the Capitol. To share your own story in order to advocate for community college funding, please do so at: https://www.oregoned.org/action-center/featured-educator-project 

Endorsement – Lisa Fragala for LCC Board of Education!

The LCCEA Legislative Action Committee and Executive Council members voted unanimously to endorse Lisa Fragala for LCC Board of Education. Lisa is a Eugene elementary school teacher, who is active in the Eugene Education Association and serves on the OEA Board. Lisa maintains a strong commitment to equity and the community college mission and is already advocating for community college funding with state legislators. For more information about her candidacy and impressive list of endorsements, please see: https://www.lisafragala.com/ 

Part-Time Faculty: Know Your Contract

“Know your contract” information for part-time faculty
https://bit.ly/2EAgk4G

March Deadlines and Events
Deadline: Friday, March 8
Extended deadline for contracted faculty members to turn in separation incentive form to Human Resources

Demo: OER and Barnes and Noble
Monday, March 11 at noon in the Library (inside the Center Bldg). Lane’s OER Faculty Librarian, Meggie Wright, has scheduled a demo of Barnes & Noble’s “LoudCloud” LMS that they advertise as being “advanced OER.” Meggie reports that that the platform charges students a fee to access OER that has been remixed with some “value-added,” proprietary content. (The Board of Ed will vote at their next meeting on whether the College will pursue outsourcing of the college bookstore to Barnes & Noble.)

Hearing on Part-Time Faculty Insurance
Monday, March 11 at 1:00 p.m. Legislative hearing on a bill to provide insurance for part-time faculty statewide. SB 852 would also increase funding for LCC. To attend the hearing before the Senate Education Committee, provide written or oral testimony, or support colleagues without insurance, please fill out this form at: https://bit.ly/2EzHpVH or contact OEA Government Relations staff member for community colleges, Kelli Horvath, at: kelli.horvath@oregoned.org 

Forum: Barnes and Noble at Lane?
Wednesday March 13, 10:00-11:30 a.m. College Administration’s Forum for faculty about possible outsourcing of the campus bookstore to the Barnes and Noble corporation.

LCCEA Meeting

Thursday, March 14, 3:00-4:30, LCCEA meeting for members, location CEN 402

Register to Lobby in Salem
March 25, OEA educator Lobby days in Salem. Register at: https://www.oregoned.org/action-center/events/lobby-day 

Spring Events

April 26-7, OEA Representative Assembly (OEA-RA) in Portland with LCCEA delegates to be elected by the membership soon. Several items of interest to community college faculty will be decided by a vote of delegates at the OEA-RA, including a resolution for pay equity for part-time faculty. Contact: LCCEA Secretary, Berri Hsiao hsiaob@lanecc.edu 

OEA Summer Leadership Conference – July 30-August 1, 2019 in Bend

Board Signs Tentative Agreement

The Board of Education voted on Saturday February 3 to ratify the LCC-LCCEA Tentative Agreement reached for 2018-2019, so the contract for this academic year is now official!

Compensation is Being Processed

The payroll manager in HR has been diligently working on calculating retroactive and prospective salary adjustments and has provided the following information. “Pay changes (salary schedule adjustments/step increases for those step eligible) will reflect on the February 8th paycheck (1/16/19-1/31/19 payroll period). Retroactive compensation (7/1/18-7/15/18 pp through 1/1/19-1/15/19 pp) will reflect on the February 25th paycheck.”

Voluntary Separation Incentive

The College and Association have also reached agreement on a voluntary separation incentive for contracted faculty members. LCCEA-Vol-Sep-Incentive-2019Signed

The incentive provides:
* a one-time payment of $10,000 in addition to early retirement benefits outlined in Article 41 (if eligible)
* a choice between $10,000 and up to one year of employee-only medical insurance for those who are not eligible for early retirement benefits in Article 41

In order to be eligible, a faculty member must:
* be a current contracted faculty member
* be at least 55 years of age by June 30, 2019
* have been hired into a faculty position at LCC before January 2009 with at least seven years’ service as a contracted faculty member at LCC
* complete the voluntary separation form and submit to the Human Resources department by March 1, 2019 (Communication from HR with the form will be forthcoming.)

March for Our Students

OEA is sponsoring a “March for Our Students” in Salem on February 18 (President’s Day). More than 1,000 OEA members and have already signed up. Please see details attached and register online to join educators from across Oregon at this important event to advocate for increased funding for schools and community colleges at: bit.ly/RallyForStudents Please watch for additional information from the LCCEA Legislative Action Committee.