KC faculty and staff salaries addressed
By LESTER MURRAY news2@kilgorenewsherald.com

Kilgore College Board of Trustees met last night to discuss salaries for teachers and administrators. By the time the session ended, the board had authorized five percent raises for faculty and 3.78 percent raises for administrators.

The board was scheduled to discuss pay raises for faculty - both full-time and adjunct instructors. The discussion was held in closed-door, executive session.

Nancy Carter, chairman of the faculty senate, said she has been employed by the college for ten years as an economics instructor and feels strongly about the quality of teaching at KSA.

"When I first came to KC the salary scale was at the bottom compared to other junior colleges in the region and in Texas," said Carter. "Under the leadership of Dr. Bill Holda, KC president, the college has made strides to increase salaries."

Carter said she addressed the board last night for the first time hoping to help the board to understand the need for faculty pay raises.

Carter said her committee requested an increase of $1000 for base pay, a $20 "tier" raise for every year of service at KC and $20 for each year of service outside KC. "When we ask the board for certain numbers, the committee is trying to be realistic in our needs," said Carter. "These numbers represent a minimum of what needs to be done in pay raises. We hope the board could do more."

Kilgore college has 142 fulltime instructors, representing about 60 percent of the faculty.

KC faculty are employed on a yearly contract which precludes cost of living pay increases. "If the board comes back and says the pay will stay the same for faculty contracts, then the only raise an instructor gets is a $510 tier raise based on a Masters Degree," said Carter. "The raise we are requesting will offset inflation, but not by much."

Instructors in academic programs are required to have a Masters Degree. Teachers in occupational programs may have an Associate Degree or a Bachelors Degree.

Part-time instructors are paid per each three semester hours taught, said Carter. "The committee is asking for a $50 raise per three semester hours pay increase for part-time teachers," said Carter. "Currently the pay is $1350 for three semester hours taught."

A full-time instructor is required to teach five classes per semester and a contract year for an instructor is nine month. "If an instructor teaches only four classes this would put them in a part time status, and they would earn far less then a fulltime instructor," said Carter.

Carter said she believes KC should offer the best education possible. "KC is a great place to work, which is a benefit in itself," said Carter. "We want to offer anyone looking to further their education the programs offered anywhere in the state."

Following the executive session, Holda said in regard to the request of the faculty salary committee, the administration committed $349,326 or 5 percent to faculty salary increases. "This increase includes the $88,280 to maintain the salary steps in the current system, increases all base salaries by $1,000, increases each incremental experience factor by $20 at all 3 tiers, increases part time/overload pay by $50 at all levels, and increases non-Kilgore experience by $20 for years 1-5," said Holda. The increases are exactly what the faculty senate asked for.

Holda said KC is committing $209,170 or 3.58 percent (grant funds will provide an additional $29,876 in increases for grant funded employees) to increases in staff salaries. The board directed the administration to use updated peer benchmarks rather than wait another year. "Had the college waited another year to catch up to the survey average, the increases would have been even greater," said Holda. "Staff salaries were normed against five peer institutions: Odessa, Midland, Trinity Valley, Wharton and Tyler."

The staff and faculty pay increases are up from last year. "Last year faculty received a four percent increase and staff a two percent increase," said Holda.

Holda said increases in the Small Business Development Center were mandated to match federal guidelines and are grant funded. Survey averages for instructional technology and several other high-demand areas increased at a rate larger than for most staff. Staff were given the appropriate percentage of the survey or a 3 percent cost of living increase, whichever was greater.

Salary increases for upper administration, excluding the president, amount to $46,053, or a total of 3.78 percent.

"Upper administrative salaries are determined by adding five averages: (1) peer institutions (Odessa, Midland, Trinity Valley, Tyler and Wharton), (2) area institutions (Panola, Angelina, NTCC, Tyler, Trinity Valley, Navarro), (3) area 5-A school districts (Tyler, Longview and Lufkin), (4) TACC statewide averages, and (5) CUPA (College and University Professional Association)," said Holda. "The "average of the averages" helps eliminate any outlier salaries which might skew the survey average."

Holda said the total salary increases supported by KC funds equal $604,549. Total new revenue from tuition and fee increases and the increase from 100,000 semester credit hours to 115,000 hours should generate $630,000 and adequately fund these salary increases. "The administration respectfully submits these salaries in the belief that they represent the directions of the Board following our March strategic planning workshop," said Holda.