The Pioneer values accurate and credible reporting, and to that end the staff wishes to clarify one point in the Nov. 29 article titled “Tough decisions lead to staff pay changes.”
It was reported that the Chancellor, Dr. Michele Johnson, will receive a “$50,000 bonus and a $25,000 raise.” While these numbers are correct, they require further clarification.
According to the minutes of the Oct. 10, 2012 meeting of the college’s Board of Trustees, the college “will set aside $25,000 in each of two years, 2013 and 2014, the entire amount of $50,000 to be paid to Dr. Johnson as deferred compensation no sooner than June 1, 2014 and no later than June 30, 2014.”
The additional funds were approved for the purpose of “continuity of leadership” and so are contingent on Johnson staying on as chancellor through that time.
The $50,000 allocation is not a cash bonus but is to be placed in a supplementary retirement account.
In addition to the $50,000 retirement funds, and assuming Johnson remains as chancellor, she will receive a $25,000 salary increase beginning with the 2014/15 school year, increasing her salary to $211,612. This salary bump will be on top of any general salary increase authorized by the state Legislature.
We hope this clarifies the numbers and retires any misconceptions regarding the chancellor’s allocations.
Tamara Kelly,
Pioneer Editor in Chief
Cuts cause complications among levels of staff and contrast with higher-up’s hefty promotion
Valerie Ettenhofer
Staff Writer
Recent contract negotiations have cut some employee paychecks down by three percent or an equivalent increase in workload.
Meanwhile, after much consideration, the Pierce College Board of Trustees has not only extended the contract of Chancellor Michele L. Johnson, but also has awarded her a raise. The title of CEO, a $50,000 bonus and a $25,000 raise have come at the cost of a palpable level of incredulity among other college employees.
“From a purely selfish standpoint, it doesn’t seem fair and the timing seems worse,” commented English professor Michael Darcher. “I don’t begrudge anyone for making as much as they can [but] it doesn’t send a message that the faculty is appreciated.”
His sentiment is shared among several faculty members, some of whom don’t feel comfortable identifying themselves for fear of repercussions.
Amidst a governmental push for financial reform and cutback, the highest-paid member of this workplace was guaranteed an amount of money that could pay off about one eighth of the $613,000 that the state is in the process of shaving off of Pierce’s overall budget in her first year with the raise and bonus alone.
The raise itself appears to be a vote of confidence in Chancellor Johnson’s ability to steer the school in a positive direction.
In September, the Board cited their appreciation for her “efforts and actions to bring about needed improvements to meet the challenges of reduced state support.”
An official statement also said that state law “allows for salary increase when critical retention needs are identified.”
Beth Norman, faculty union president, thinks that the raise came as a response to presidents and vice presidents from both campuses leaving or retiring. Johnson’s promotion will keep her at the college, but it’s not the only money these administrative changes will require.
“We can expect that these additional positions that we’re filling will come at higher salaries which means we’re going to have to find that money in the budget,” shares Norman.
Although Johnson may be working in support of her fellow employees the Pierce College budget is still being balanced by cutting employee time and money elsewhere.
Pierce College employees represent three distinct groups—faculty, classified staff and exempt staff. Each group has its own contract with the college. Joann Wiszmann, vice president of administrative services, explained that classified staff works in areas including supervision, purchasing, finance, IT, the Welcome Desk and the tutoring center.
Their union negotiation resulted in a deal that reduced classified staff pay by 3 percent in exchange for eight days of “temporary salary reduction leave,” or forced days off.
A second group, the exempt staff, consists of top management positions such as the chancellor, presidents, vice presidents and deans. They took a voluntary 3 percent pay cut.
“The administration basically made the decision that they would all take it,” said Norman. “For faculty, what we did was we made it really voluntary on an individual basis.”
From one angle, faculty may have ended up with the best deal of all employee groups. They are now required one more work day than their previous 172, and will be compensated for such. In exchange, teachers have been encouraged to voluntarily take on more students.
“We set it up so that they may voluntarily contribute something equivalent to 3 percent to our foundation if they choose to,” said Wiszmann. “A good number of our faculty is voluntarily adding more students to classes, which obviously helps us by bringing in a little more revenue without increasing the cost of the class.”
Although faculty did not end up taking a required 3 percent salary cut, they still felt losses in other areas through changes such as hiring freezes, cost of living adjustment and increases in medical copay.
Additionally, Pierce College faculty already has a salary that is approximately $5,000 less than that of surrounding community colleges.
Crowded classrooms are one way students are impacted by these changes. Besides the encouraged overloading, the past two years have seen a reduction in the number of classes offered. Courses may be appearing once a year instead of several times per quarter. Courses may change as well, as budget constraints are forcing administrators to reexamine teaching credentials, ensuring that each professor is teaching only within the limits of their degree.
