Invitation to Join DCFA Regular Monthly Business Meeting on September 16th, 2022

The first DCFA Council Monthly Business Meeting of Fall 2022 is scheduled for Friday, September 16^th, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. 

This meeting is scheduled following our provost meeting so we can provide up-to-date reporting on anything that comes up during the meeting (in addition to regular business). 

Here is the link to the meeting agenda. Below you will find the meeting links along with call-in/passcode information. 

Time: Sep 16, 2022 09:00 AM – 10:20 AM 

Join Zoom Meeting 

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/96016480264?pwd=WGhFemw2bzljMktTVHhqSWtZRHk3Zz09 

 

Meeting ID: 960 1648 0264 

Passcode: dcfa2022b 

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Meeting ID: 960 1648 0264 

Passcode: 422153252 

Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kdj6Njycnm 

SIP Update

Hello Faculty,

We hope you are doing well and wish you a smooth transition into the Fall 2022 semester. For those of you who did not get a chance to watch the SIP Introduction video from conference day, you may access it by clicking here. Here is a summary of key points addressed in the video:  

• Dallas College has hired PARS (Public Agency Retirement Services) to administer the SIP (Separation Incentive Package). 
• It will be 75% of your 2022-2023 base salary (up to $100,000) that will be used to fund an annuity through Pacific Life Insurance Company. 
• Faculty (any age) with 15 years of full-time college service as of 11/30/22. 
• There are 14 different annuity options. 
• Enrollment window opens 9/1/22. 
• If you are eligible, you will receive your customized packet the following week.  There will also be an online orientation.  This will contain information on whether SIP is right for you. 
• You will be provided with their Plan Support Department information on how to contact them via email or phone with any questions. 
• There will also be several PARS Interactive SIP Q&A sessions. 

The window for eligible faculty to enroll in the SIP will open on September 1, 2022 and close on October 20, 2022. Information sessions with PARS representatives are being scheduled for Sept. 7, 12, 14, 19 and 21^st. HR should be providing more information shortly. We will keep you posted!  

Board of Trustees Approves 2022-2023 Budget

On August 2, 2022, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved the 2022-2023 budget. This budget includes a $3,650 salary increase for each full-time faculty member, which becomes effective on September 1. That means you will first see the raise on your September 30 paycheck.

Although the minutes for the Board meeting approving this increase are not yet posted, you can view the agenda here and watch the video here.

Raise Implementation & Separation Incentive Plan Update

Greetings FA Members!  

Here are some updates regarding raise implementation and the Separation Incentive Plan (SIP). 

1. Will people who are at the highest of their range be denied this $3650? (That happened last year and we want to ensure it doesn't happen again.)

No.  The Chancellor has directed that the existing rule, which prohibits an employee at the top of a salary range from getting the approved increase in compensation, NOT be applied for any increase which may be approved by the Board in August for the 2022-23 budget year.

For context, last year, people who were at their maximum salary range were not eligible to receive the raise to which they were entitled because the administrators at the time enforced a rigid policy that nobody could make above their range maximum. That will not be the case this year.

2. Will the 75% Separation Incentive Plan calculation apply to eligible faculty salary after the $3650 is added?

Yes.  For SIP eligible faculty members who receive the $3,650 increase to base (if approved by the Board in August) the 75% calculation will be based upon the new base salary

Please contact your FA president if you have any questions or concerns. 

June 2022 Review: Email Policy, SIP, Compensation, Benefits Enrollment, Council Retreat

June 2022 Review: Email Policy, SIP, Compensation, Benefits Enrollment, Council Retreat 

Greetings, faculty! We hope that you are all having a good summer. 

The new DCFA Council took office on June 1, 2022 and was welcomed by the Board of Trustees at their June 7, 2022 meeting. Although we have touched base with you all since then (about the District 1 results, the Conflict of Commitment form rescission, and a heads-up about the SIP discussed in more detail below), we still have quite a few June updates to provide you here on the last day of the month. 

Email Policy 

On June 28, 2022, the Board of Trustees voted to approve an “Amendment to Policies Concerning Technology Resources” pertaining to the use of Dallas College email. Please make sure to read the policy so that you are aware of what it contains. You are probably already complying with most of the policy, but one section “require[s] all email sent in the performance of College business or from College personnel to be sent to a College employee or student’s official College email address, as assigned by the College.” As many of you know, the beginning of the semester sometimes requires professors to adapt to student needs while students gain access to their accounts. The DCFA Council brought this concern to the attention of the administration, which has assured us that such practicalities involved in serving students would not be considered violations of policy. 

The policy as amended on June 28, 2022 is vastly different than the original language proposed as a first reading on April 5, 2022, which included extensive technology use policies involving both personal and college resources. The DCFA Council advocated strongly for changes to the proposed language, and to our relief, administrators removed a substantial amount of the concerning language when it resubmitted to the Board. Because those parts were removed with the intention of “further review,” the Council will continue to advocate for faculty as that review unfolds. 

Separation Incentive Plan 

The other item approved on June 28, 2022 was a resolution to authorize the Separation Incentive Plan (SIP) that your campus FA president emailed you about last week. Now that it has received approval from the Board, we can provide more details. The resolution states that: 

Faculty who take advantage of this plan do not have to retire and can choose to work for another organization, including those with TRS; however, they will be ineligible to work for the College for the first five years after separation. 

The plan will be available to approximately 374 full-time faculty with 15 or more continuous years of service with the College as of August 31, 2022. 

Participants receive a payout equal to 75% of their base salary, up to a maximum of $100,000. 

Participants can choose a monthly payout over 5-15 years, lifetime, joint and survivor, or lifetime with a 10-year guarantee. 

To implement the SIP, the College will partner with PARS (Public Agency Retirement Services), which specializes in governmental separation plan consulting and administration. 

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There will be a PARS Representative at District Conference Day to help you find out more about your options. We have not yet received a PARS contact name for SIP questions, but we will share it as soon as we do. If you have questions about your eligibility for the plan, please contact AskHR@dcccd.edu until we find out whom HR assigns this to. 

Compensation Updates 

During the Board Work Session on June 28, 2022, the administrated proposed its 2022-2023 budget. In their salary recommendations, administration proposed a $3,650 increase to all faculty base salaries, which is five percent (5%) of the average of all faculty salaries. If approved by the Board in August, this salary increase would take effect on September 1, 2022. The presentation also mentioned the previously announced one-time stipend of $1,500, which is not pending Board approval; it will be on the paycheck you’ll receive at the end of July 2022. 

The Council continues to advocate about the structural issues of compression, range advancement inequities, and uncompetitive salary schedules. The good news is that faculty have been prioritized in the Segal Compensation Practices Review timeline over staff and administration. The bad news is that it will still be approximately 4-6 more weeks before that review is finished. And unfortunately, no substantive changes to these more structural problems will be proposed to the Board for faculty compensation until Segal completes its review. 

Summer 2022 Benefits Enrollment Period 

The ERS Summer 2022 Benefits Enrollment Period for Dallas College begins June 25, 2022 and ends July 9, 2022. Visit the Summer Enrollment landing page on SharePoint for more information. ERS will host online webinars and in-person fairs throughout the Summer Enrollment period, which you can find more information about from HR’s Summer Enrollment Event page on SharePoint. 

DCFA Council Retreat 

The DCFA Council will have its first retreat since COVID-19 on July 15, 2022. Much of this retreat will involve the council setting strategic priorities for the upcoming term. In addition, new council members will have an opportunity to become more familiar with their roles and responsibilities, and to collaborate on how best to respond to data compiled by diligent committee work in 2021-2022. 

If you would like to contribute ideas to the strategic priorities, please share them with your campus FA president so that they can bring them to the retreat for the Council to discuss. We enjoy serving you and look forward to hearing from you!