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Where Have All the Teachers Gone?
With
a state budget teetering on the brink of disaster and major cutbacks
expected for community colleges in the next few months, districts
are preparing plans to cut sections and courses in the upcoming
semesters. While there is a limit to the number of sections that can
be cut before the college begins to hurt its own funding formula
(which is based on the number of students it serves), this purging
of courses falls heavily on the backs of adjunct faculty. Part-time
faculty are the buffer that saves full-time tenure track positions
from being cut. Full-time or contract employees are basically
guaranteed a full load, so cuts to programs are done by eliminating
adjunct faculty.
One worry is that students who are turned away because there
are not enough classes for them will not return in the future. This
could greatly affect the growth of a college and the expansion of
programs for which plans and buildings have been created over the
course of years. Cannibalizing one’s college budget in order to stay
alive to see another day can backfire by sending students to other
districts or even to private training schools where students feel
they can get through a program more quickly.
However, another unseen casualty of these course reduction
plans is the adjunct faculty member. A part-time teacher who has
begun a path toward a career in community college teaching may
become disillusioned about any prospect of making a living in the
field. When an employee is let go with only a week’s notice or is
cut back to earning less than what unemployment benefits are
offering, he/she may think twice about pursuing a career in
community college teaching. The result of this short-sighted
thinking about class cuts is that these excellent teachers will also
go elsewhere. In the future, when replacement or new faculty members
are needed, whether for full-time or adjunct positions, the number
of experienced and eager employees for these programs will be
limited.
Minimizing the Pain
What
can districts do prevent this kind of attrition? Be honest with
adjunct faculty. Don’t set up a schedule of classes for an employee
only to pull the rug out from under him/her a week or two before the
semester starts. Give long-term excellent teachers 67% loads so that
if one class gets cancelled, they can still afford to keep their
college teaching job as their mainstay and will still be eligible
for district health benefits (which require a 40% teaching load).
Circulate information about grants that may bring money into a
department to help pay an adjunct’s salary and provide help in grant
writing for individual part-timers who want to apply for these
funds. This kind of district commitment to contingent faculty will
reap rewards in the form of loyalty, encouragement of nascent
faculty to learn new skills (such as online teaching) and promote
the reputation of the Glendale District as a good place to work
among current "road scholars."
Unemployment Benefits
If you will not
be working (or working at a much reduced level) during the summer
intersession you have a right to apply for unemployment insurance
benefits. The state budget crisis may result in colleges cutting
class sections, even at the last minute, for this summer and fall.
Part-time faculty who
lose some or all
of their assignments may be eligible to collect unemployment
benefits. You can apply online at
www.edd.ca.gov
or by phone at (800) 300-5616.
Adjuncts are considered "temporary" employees who work without
contracts and are not guaranteed continued employment. If you are
not offered an assignment or if your workload is reduced, you can
file for unemployment benefits. The EDD will determine whether you
qualify.
Claims may be filed with the EDD on or right after the last day
of the semester (for spring 2009 that is Wednesday, June 10).
This is also the
last day of the week that you are considered by the district to have
"worked." Yes, you may have a paycheck coming from Glendale College
afterwards, but when you turn grades in you are unemployed!
In the past we have suggested using your last final exam day but
this is no longer safe. Human Resources, which reports your last
work date, cannot know every part-timer’s last final exam date so
they always report your last work day as the last day of the
semester. You, therefore, must also use that date.
Since the district must
report to the EDD, they use this date for clarity’s sake, so your
application must corroborate the above date.
You will be
asked for the amount you were paid for your last week of work. The
amount you were paid for your last
week of work can
be determined by dividing your usual
monthly pay by
four (weeks).
You also need to keep in mind that there is a week layover in
receiving that first unemployment check. When you call, have ready
your social security number, and the name, address, and phone number
of the college. Be aware that some of the questions that are asked
are meant to trick you into saying that you will be back again
teaching in the fall or they will ask if this is a break period. You
have to let the EDD know that you have been laid off because your
contract ended and just keep repeating the phrase "I have no
reasonable assurance of work with this employer in the future."
Sometimes EDD personnel are not aware that, unlike K-12
teachers, community college teachers, who have little or no other
employment,
are entitled to
unemployment at the end of a semester. Even if one’s name is in the
schedule to teach in a future semester, possible class cancellations
mean that adjunct faculty have "no
reasonable
assurance" of future employment.
There will be a
question on the form asking if you are a teacher; when responding,
be sure to
cite the
Cervisi
decision which
applies directly to "at will" adjunct faculty (help can be found at
http://www.faccc.org/part_time/unemployment/edd_cervisi.HTM)
You will also be asked if you are a union member. This is for
unions that pay their members during times of hiatus or help them
get jobs. This does not apply to community college part-timers, so
you should answer that questions with a "no," since in fact you are
not technically a member of the Guild when you are not working at
GCC.
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