Faculty Load and Extra Service update

During the July 22 work session of the Board of Trustees, one trustee asked numerous questions about faculty extra service and expressed concern that a faculty member had earned $77,000 per year in extra service pay. As evidenced in Board meeting agendas and minutes going back to 2006, some trustees have expressed concerns about inequity in faculty load and extra service. In addition, the July 22 work session discussion was a continuation of a conversation started during Spring 2016 in response to a request from Talent Central to discuss equity in faculty load and extra service (which some faculty took to be an effort to reduce the amount of extra service teaching that full time faculty could perform).

Given the concerns raised at the July 22 Board work session, the Faculty Council requested a special meeting with Chancellor May and Chief Talent Officer Susan Hall on July 27, at which time we shared with the Chancellor our perspectives on faculty extra service teaching, which affirm in more detail our previously articulated position of April 8, 2016 that the current guidelines for full-time faculty teaching extra service are working well.

Each DCCCD college takes steps to ensure faculty who are teaching extra service do not perform that extra service during designated office hours or during hours when they perform their contractually obligated institutional service. Some locations do not allow daytime extra service teaching at all unless the dean, vice president, and president approve, and then only when qualified adjuncts are not available to meet student demand for daytime sections. In addition, any faculty teaching daytime extra service must keep an updated schedule posted in the division office and outside his/her office door to indicate when office hours are kept and institutional service is performed.

Rather than resort to policy changes, instructional leaders throughout the District – including the faculty council and the academic vice presidents – have reiterated that deans and faculty collaborating closely are best able to determine the number of extra service sections an individual faculty member successfully can teach. From a student learning and student success perspective, current extra service practice – within existing policy – is working well.

To respond to concerns expressed by the Board of Trustees on July 22, Chancellor May asked the Faculty Council to convene a diverse group of instructional leaders to study the equity of current practices in determining faculty load across the District and to recommend solutions to situations where inequity currently exists. The Council will recommend convening a task force consisting of Council members, the academic vice presidents, and instructional deans to discuss these issues and make recommendations. The group also will call upon leaders of critical support functions, such as Susan Hall (who leads Human Resources) and Chief Innovation Officer Tim Marshall (who leads District IT, which runs our software infrastructure) to provide technical and operational input, and the seven faculty members of the DCCFA Welfare and Benefits committee (which is chaired by DCCFA Vice President Tommy Thompson).

Faculty Compensation adjustments for 2016-2017

The Faculty Council has been actively engaged with Chancellor May and Talent Central regarding proposed compensation adjustments for 2016-2017.

As noted in the post from June 21, 2016, three new members were elected to the Board of Trustees in May and June of 2016. Each race was competitive and two races went to runoffs. Two of the winning candidates ran against opponents who promised to cut spending in order to cut taxes. One of the winning candidates has promised to continue fighting to cut spending and reduce taxes. Taxpayers throughout the county who are unhappy with rising property tax bills are pressuring – and will continue to pressure – their elected officials to reduce taxes, even though DCCCD taxes only comprise 4-5% of the average homeowner’s property tax bill, as noted in the DCCCD Multi Year Planning and Outlook (FY2017-2020), presented at the Board Work Session on April 5, 2016.

The Faculty Council has worked diligently this spring and summer to counter the strident anti-tax mood among many voters and to provide opportunities for Dallas County voters to learn more about the candidates: it published a voters guide and helped to organize and conduct four candidate forums before the elections; it has engaged discussions with the Chancellor and the executive team at a level unprecedented in the recent past; and it has reached out to the new trustees directly, to share faculty perspectives on the important roles our colleges play in our communities.

Property value assessments in Dallas County have risen significantly, but our colleges’ needs remain great. Our District has been run with fiscal conservatism for decades, often at the expense of necessary maintenance and infrastructure updates to some of our facilities that are over 40 years old. Moreover, salaries for many employees – particularly faculty hired between 1981 and 2006 – have not grown adequately to meet the District’s goal of “employee success,” or even to match the salary growth that benefited faculty hired as our colleges opened in the 1960s and 1970s.

Chancellor May and Talent Central have been working hard within tight budgets to win Board approval to raise entering salaries to be competitive in the marketplace and to create structures to allow faculty salaries to rise. The one remaining challenge is one 30 years in the making – the compression of faculty salaries – which is particularly acute for those faculty hired between between 1981 and 2006. Faculty should be encouraged that Chancellor May is taking steps unprecedented in the last two decades to present the Board of Trustees with a comprehensive list of District needs, including compensation adjustments that would promote employee success.

During the work sessions for the Board of Trustees on July 21 and 22 that covered a wide variety of District and college operations and priorities, Chief Talent Officer Susan Hall presented an expense summary that included $1.566 million for adjustments to faculty salaries in 2016-17. The Faculty Council will continue to engage with both Susan Hall and the Chancellor to refine her recommendations in order to better address the problem of salary compression. The Board will continue to balance its fiduciary responsibility with the many priorities our colleges need to serve our communities. A final budget is to be adopted at the regular monthly Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Until then, we can look forward to the following milestones, each of which will further crystalize the 2016-2017 budget and compensation adjustments to be included therein:

Tuesday, August 2: Board of Trustees Work Session to include Budget Presentation; 

Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees with an agenda item to discuss the proposed tax rate. The Board is required to take a record vote and schedule public hearings if the proposed tax rate will exceed the effective tax rate.

Tuesday, August 16: First of two public hearings on the tax rate, if required.

Tuesday, August 23: Second of two public hearings on the tax rate, if required.

July 21-22 DCCCD Board of Trustees Work Sessions expected to present preliminary 2016-2017 budget

Chancellor Joe May is briefing the DCCCD Board of Trustees in a series of work sessions on Thursday, July 21, and Friday, July 22, at District Office (agendas in the date links). Faculty are encouraged to tune in to the live webcast to learn more about the strategic and budget implications of the DCCCD Higher Education Network. The live webcast can be found at www.livestream.com. Click “Watch Events.” Type “dcccd” in the search field on the page. If the stream is broadcasting, it will appear first in the list of viewer windows, and you can click it to allow to play on your computer. Previously recorded portions of the work sessions (and prior board meetings and work sessions) also are available for viewing. You also may download the Livestream app on your iPad or mobile device.

According to the agenda for the July 22 work session, an updated revenue projection and preliminary budget for 2016-2017 will be presented to the Board, which may include details on proposed compensation adjustments. If any information affecting faculty compensation is presented, it will be shared in a subsequent post on the DCCFA Advance Blog.

District Curriculum Workshop, August 24, 2016

From Anna Mays, Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Policy & Student Success:

"Achieving the 60X30TX and DCCCD Strategic Goals: It's All About Curriculum Pathways and the Network!"  

This year’s District Curriculum Workshop has a new format! It will include:

• Updates on innovations,
• Updates on high school to college to university educational and career pathways (that lead to employment and living wages for our students), and
• Discipline and program committee meetings will close out the day.

During the workshop, attendees will participate in interactive sessions related to: 1.) The curriculum process, 2.) Educational pathways and guidelines for Liberal Arts, 3.) Educational  pathways  and guidelines  for Career and Technical Education awards and 4.)  New Compliance Issues in Continuing Education programs and courses.  These interactive sessions are designed to provide:

• An overview of the curriculum process,
• DCCCD, THECB, SACSCOC and other governing agency guidelines, rules and regulations,
• THECB and legislative updates, and
• Process timelines and new initiatives on the horizon. 

Discipline committee chairs, co-chairs, liaison deans, members, faculty, college curriculum committees, deans, administrators and staff who work directly with curriculum and instructional matters are encouraged to attend the workshop.

All discipline and curriculum committees are encouraged to host their first committee meeting in the afternoon immediately following the workshop to discuss any recommendations for curriculum changes that may be needed in their respective areas.  Rooms will be reserved and available to accommodate each discipline committee.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

·         Log on to eConnect as and “Employee” and choose  register for Staff Enrichment

·         Term dropdown menu: Term Summer 2016

·         Course dropdown menu: XPDL Misc. Professional Development

·         Course dropdown menu: 1000   Section dropdown menu: 14501

·         Click submit, select course, click submit

You will receive an email confirmation to the email address that you have on file in eConnect.

DCCCD Colleges asked to lead learning and civic engagement efforts following July 7 police shooting

Dear Colleagues,

Dallas continues to recover from, and attempt to make sense of, the July 7 police shootings, that still directly affect El Centro College, and all our colleges and our community.

Despite being injured during the earliest moments of the incident, two members of the El Centro College police department stood their posts and were part of the initial efforts to secure the premises.

Media inquiries for information should be directed to the Chancellor’s office. In the meantime, we all should be circumspect about we say, and/or promulgate via email and/or social media. Operational questions, such as when El Centro’s main campus will reopen and/or the status of their IT services, will be answered by District and/or El Centro officials.

Counseling resources will be expanded to provide services to students and staff who need them. DCCCD academic and student services VPs continue to collaborate and share resources as needed among the seven colleges.

Our Board of Trustees is looking for the District and our colleges to be a leader in civic engagement to promote community healing in the aftermath of this tragedy.

The Chancellor said this an opportunity for our response to be an opportunity for community learning. The Chancellor said he knows we have many instructional first responders and content experts who can help teach our students and our communities. He therefore invites and encourages each of us to step forward in context-appropriate ways. Because there is no “one size fits all” approach, and out of respect for our academic freedom, the District will not prescribe the manner in which individual faculty and colleges choose to engage. However, Chief Strategy Officer Mary Brumbach has gathered numerous resources that faculty are welcome to peruse, such as at these links:

http://embreyfdn.org/passion-points/

http://www.dallasfacesrace.com/tools-and-resources/

http://news.mit.edu/2015/rinku-sen-talk-black-lives-matter-1020

https://www.racialequitytools.org/glossary

https://www.raceforward.org/trainings

http://interactioninstitute.org/training/fundamentals-of-facilitation-for-racial-justice-work/

http://www.bordercrossers.org/what-we-do/

This is a traumatic episode nearly unprecedented in American history. Not unlike the response to the JFK assassination, how we respond in the coming days will define us for many years. Please feel free to share this message with your full-time and adjunct faculty colleagues.

Dual Credit Faculty Professional Development Information

From Anna Mays, Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Policy & Student Success:

Professional development for faculty who will be teaching dual credit DCCCD College courses in Fall, 2016, including those who will be teaching at the Dallas ISD Collegiate Academies, will be held August 10, 12:00-4:00 p.m. at Eastfield College.  

Patti Burks and Ginnette Serrano-Correa, two experienced DCCCD faculty, are designing both this in-person and online professional development with input from members of the DCCCD Planning Committee for the Dallas ISD Collegiate Academies and Dual Credit Council and assistance from Dr. Sharon Blackman (Talent Central) and Terry DiPaolo (LeCroy).  Presenters will also include Usamah Rodgers-Muhammad, Dallas ISD Executive Director of Early College Programs and Angie Gaylord, DISD Executive Director of Professional Development.   

Please share this information with existing as well as new adjunct and full-time faculty who will be assigned dual credit DCCCD college courses.  

To Register for the Learning Frameworks Seminar:

Log on to eConnect and select the EMPLOYEE Menu
Choose Register for Staff Enrichment
On the Register for Staff Enrichment Classes screen:
Choose the Summer 2016 Term from the drop down menu
Select the Location: 010-District Office from the drop down menu
Fill in the Course information area:
     Section#: 13002
     Course #: 2000
     Course: XADJ
Click Submit
Confirm the course and check Select Section box
Click Submit
You will receive a confirmation showing that your registration was successfully received

Informational Flyer (pdf)

If a potential participant does not yet have an employee ID number, please send their name to Dr. Sharon Blackman at sblackman@dcccd.edu.  Information on the online professional development will be forthcoming.

Updates on Elections, Budgets, and DISD Collegiate Academies

DCCCD BOARD OF TRUSTEES ELECTIONS

Voters in eastern Dallas County elected new representatives on the DCCCD Board of Trustees in runoff elections on June 18.

In District 3, which covers the northeastern quadrant of Dallas County, including Sachse, Garland, Rowlett, Lake Highlands and other parts of Northeast Dallas, Dorothy Zimmermann was elected over Tommy Reed to succeed Trustee Jerry Prater.

In District 4, which covers the southeastern wedge of Dallas County stretching from Lakewood and parts of East Dallas and Pleasant Grove to Mesquite, Sunnyvale, Seagoville and Balch Springs, Monica Lira Bravo was elected over Martha Jo Talbot to succeed Trustee Bill Metzger.

Lira Bravo and Zimmermann will be sworn into office on June 29.

In May, voters in District 2 elected Phil Ritter over three other candidates to succeed Trustee Bob Ferguson. Ritter was sworn in to office on June 7.

DCCCD BUDGET OUTLOOK

With these three new trustees joining incumbents Charletta Rogers Compton, Diana Flores, Wesley Jameson, and Sonny Williams, according to this Schedule for Tax Rate and Budget Adoption, the Board is expected to set the property tax rates and adopt a budget for the 2016-2017 fiscal year on Tuesday, September 6.

As of June, DCCCD Chief Financial Officer John Robertson predicts Dallas County will see a 9-10 percent increase in the Taxable Assessed Value (TAV) of all real property in Dallas. As a result, Robertson plans to recommend Chancellor May ask the Board of Trustees to reduce our tax rate slightly and keep tuition rates the same, while still keeping revenues at a level that supports maintaining instructional and student services. When asked by the DCCFA president why the District would not keep the rate the same and use the resultant budget increase to fund longstanding areas of need, Robertson said that keeping the rate the same as 2015-2016 would put the DCCCD Board of Trustees perilously close to triggering a state law that would allow a rollback election to take place, which could result in a significantly lower tax rate and drastically reduced tax revenues. (More information on rollback rates and elections can be explored in more detail at this link and this link.)

In a meeting with the faculty council on June 3, and again at the Chancellor’s Staff meeting on June 13, Chancellor May said that the projected increased tax revenues - even with a slightly lower tax rate - would allow for employee compensation increases. However, the amount and shape of such compensation increases will depend on the final certified TAV, and the tax rate the Board of Trustees ultimately approves at the September 6 meeting.

TILT, TEXTBOOKS, DISD COLLEGIATE ACADEMIES

The Faculty Council meets monthly with the seven college academic vice presidents and the dean of distance education from the LeCroy Center. The group refers to itself as “The Instructional Leadership Team” (TILT).

The TILT group met Monday, June 20, to discuss an agenda that included the 2016-2017 faculty search timeline and updates on the chancellors faculty fellows, mentors, and pay for performance programs. In addition, numerous faculty have raised concerns about faculty input in curriculum development and faculty primacy in textbook selections related to the DISD Collegiate Academies initiative that is launching numerous Early College High Schools with six of the seven DCCCD colleges. Consequently, TILT also invited Anna Mays, associate vice chancellor, and Patti Burks, faculty representative, to update the group on the Collegiate Academies. Previous updates from Patti Burks were posted on the DCCFA Advance Blog in June and May and April. The TILT group learned that only a small number of courses – to be offered to ninth graders – will be offered in 2016-2017. District officials remain committed to faculty selecting textbooks and other classroom materials throughout the Collegiate Academies partnership. Moreover, faculty in the specific career and technical education programs selected for the partnership increasingly are being involved in determining curriculum and scheduling decisions. The group also identified an area of opportunity for increased communication with, and input from, District discipline committees, particularly those which oversee general education courses within the CTE certificate and degree plans.

The issue of textbook selections has been raised on numerous occasions over the past year. Chancellor May repeatedly has affirmed that he respects the right and responsibility of faculty to select their own textbooks. Additional information about the textbooks issue can be found in this June 2016 post, this June 2016 post, and this October 2015 post on the DCCFA Advance Blog.