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December 1 is the fall semester Flex Program deadline! Tentative Agreement: FLEX Program, 2007 – 2009 Regular Faculty Obligation (includes full time temporary contract faculty) • Hours that fall on the mandatory day are not flexible, nor can they be “made up.” Regular Faculty members who miss the mandatory day may file an absence form with Human Resources either for sickness or personal necessity, if appropriate, during the semester in which that mandatory institutional day occurred. Failure to do so will result in their pay being docked from the May 31 paycheck. • For regular faculty less than 100% contract, the mandatory obligation will equate to their percentage, i.e. 60% = 3.6 mandatory hours each semester. Hours accrued on the mandatory institutional day beyond their obligation will be considered flexible hours. Hours calculated on academic year, flexible hours can occur any time during the year. (Program Year is July 1 – May 1). Note: Regular faculty are not required to perform Flex activities for their overload assignments. • If a regular faculty member does not complete the 24 hours of professional development activities before May 1, s/he will risk losing pay which will affect STRS credit for that year. The benefit of flex activities means that there should be no need for “make-up” activities. For that reason, faculty who do not meet the 24 hours of obligation may use sick leave or personal necessity leave when appropriate to fulfill their obligation and to avoid payroll docking. Adjunct Faculty Obligation Each semester, Adjunct Flex obligation is determined by the days of the week of the teaching schedule (days and hours teaching a semester-length Credit class, or any Non-Credit class, or any CDCP class in that semester), driven by the scheduled PDA days on the Academic Calendar. For example, for Fall 2007, since the PDA days on the Instructional Calendar are a Wednesday and a Friday, then the adjunct faculty member obligation is equal to the total hours teaching a semester-length class on those days of the week. • Adjunct faculty who do not fulfill their obligation may file an absence form either for sickness or personal necessity when appropriate for mandated institutional days if those are the activities they have designated as meeting their flex obligation. • Hours are calculated on a semester basis and not on an annual basis because adjunct faculty members are employed semester by semester. Fall semester hours must be completed by December 1st. Spring semester hours must be completed by May 1st. • Adjunct Faculty will be able to flex all of their hours of obligation, but are welcome to attend the mandated institutional days if they so choose. These hours can be applied to their flex obligation. Flex Activity Procedures • Flex can be fulfilled only through appropriate activities jointly pre-approved by the Professional Development Committee/Flex Sub-committee per the agreed-upon criteria. • Flex fulfillment will be tracked by the Staff Development Office, with the assistance of the Deans as necessary. An automated flex program is available to assist in this process. Please refer to the AFA website at http://www.santarosa.edu/afa/tentative_agreement.shtml
Memorandum of Understanding: For 2007-08, AFA and the District agree to continue implementing flexible (hereafter referred to as “flex”) professional development activity hours. The Professional Development Committee will continue to review the program with AFA, the Academic Senate, and Academic Affairs so that modifications and refinements may continue for further improvement of the program. Regular Faculty Obligation (includes full time temporary contract faculty) Regular faculty will be responsible for a total of 24 hours per academic year. Twelve (12) hours of that responsibility will be fulfilled on the two designated mandatory institutional days which will be Friday, August 17, 2007 and Tuesday, February 19, 2008; the additional twelve (12) hours will occur at any time during the academic year as outlined below:
If a regular faculty member does not complete the 24 hours of professional development activities before May 1, 2008 s/he will risk losing pay which will affect STRS credit for that year. The benefit of flex activities means that there should be no need for “make-up” activities. For that reason, faculty who do not meet the 24 hours of obligation may be required to use sick leave or personal necessity leave to fulfill their obligation and to avoid payroll docking. Adjunct Faculty Obligation Each semester, Adjunct Flex obligation is determined by the days of the week of the teaching schedule (days and hours teaching a semester-length class in that semester), driven by the scheduled PDA days on the Academic Calendar (Friday August 17, 2007 and Wednesday, November 21, 2007 in the Fall 2007 semester, and Tuesday, February 19, 2008 and Monday, March 24, 2008 in the Spring 2008 semester). For example, for Fall 2007, since the PDA days on the Instructional Calendar are a Wednesday (August 17) and a Friday (November 21), then the adjunct faculty member obligation is equal to the total hours teaching a semester-length class on those days of the week.
July 2007 Click here to see the initial MOUs for the Flex Pilot Program for 2005-06 and 2006-07.
FAQ's Frequently Asked Questions Legend: Regular Faculty – FAQ’sWhy do I have to do faculty development activities? Do I have to attend the Institutional PDA day? Can I just work at my regularly assigned duties instead of doing Faculty Professional Development? What is the process for doing flexible hours? Do I need to fill out forms and get approval? When should I contact Staff Development regarding an activity needing approval? Do I have to turn in a form BEFORE I com`plete an individual activity? What happens if I change my mind later about what I planned to do? How am I notified that my proposal has been approved? Can I do individual activities on PDA Days? What is considered a "day” for Faculty Professional Development? How do I know what will "count” as a Faculty Professional Development Flex activity? Do I have to turn in a form to get credit for a Faculty Professional Development Flex activity? When can I do flex activities? What hours are not eligible for flex scheduling? How do I count credit for an activity? How does conference attendance work with FPDF hours? Can I receive credit for creating and presenting a Flex Workshop? What if I have an idea for - or I want to present - a workshop or activity? How will I know when new activities have been added so that I can sign up for them? If I teach an overload am I obligated for additional PD hours? Can I receive flex credit for taking an SRJC class? Why do I have to do faculty development activities? According to the Contract, the Academic Calendar is comprised of 177 instructional days. SRJC has identified 4 of these days for professional development. These 4 days are paid working days and, as such, must be accountable to the state auditors. Thus SRJC must require participation in Faculty Professional Development Flex (FPDF) activities and document how those 4 days are used. How is the new flex program different than PDA Days in the past? 1. It is no longer possible to “make-up” hours missed on the Institutional (mandatory attendance) PDA Day. What is my contractual obligation? Your contractual obligation is equal to 4 days or 24 hours if you are Contract Faculty with 100% load. If I am a contract Faculty with a reduced load percentage and I do more than my number of mandatory hours on PDA Day, what happens to the extra hour(s)? The additional hours, over your mandatory obligation (up to a maximum of 6 hours per day) will be applied to your flexible hour obligation. Do I have to attend the Institutional PDA day? Yes, the Institutional PDA Day each semester is mandatory for all regular faculty. These mandatory days are set aside for institutional theme programs. Can I just work at my regularly assigned duties instead of doing Faculty Professional Development? Never. What is the process for doing flexible hours? Do I need to fill out forms and get approval?
When should I contact Staff Development regarding an activity needing approval? The Professional Development Committee (PDC) meets twice per month on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays, during the fall and spring semesters. Please allow for 10 working days before a meeting in order to ensure that the proposed activity can be reviewed in time for you to count it. Do I have to turn in a form BEFORE I complete an individual activity? Yes, an Individual/Group Flex Proposal Form needs to be submitted two weeks prior to the date of the planned activity. Forms are available on the SRC website. What happens if I change my mind later about what I planned to do? If you have submitted a form for approval but do not follow through with the activity, please inform the SRC. You will need to file a new form or select another activity. How am I notified that my proposal has been approved? The Staff Development Resource Center office will send you a written notification following committee review and approval. If there are questions with your proposal you will be contacted. Can I do individual activities on PDA Days? No, these days are set aside for institutional theme programs. What is considered a "day” for Faculty Professional Development? A day is considered, but not limited to, six (6) hours. For Notice of Absence (NOA) purposes, six (6) hours is the maximum number of hours in a full day. How do I know what will "count” as a Faculty Professional Development Flex activity? Staff Development has an approved list of approved activities (Menu of Activities). Generally, individual activities are allowed as long as a connection can be established to the improvement of performance in the workplace. To prevent problems or disappointment, approval for activities not clearly stated on the Menu of Activities must be requested from Staff Development BEFORE engaging in the activity. Do I have to turn in a form to get credit for a Faculty Professional Development Flex activity? Yes, for all activities (Approved from Menu of Activities, Individual Flex, Group Flex, mandatory days) a Flex Verification Form needs to submitted to receive credit for your hours. Currently these are the only ways we have of documenting for state reimbursement. When can I do flex activities? The "Flex” year begins July 1 and goes through May 1 of the following year. Faculty Professional Development Flex activities can be counted any time the individual faculty member is not engaged in class, student consultation (office) hours, college service or other activities specified in their job description.
What hours are not eligible for flex scheduling? The following hours are not eligible for flex scheduling:
What is considered for approval on the Menu of Activities? Individuals or groups (not just departmental groups) may propose workshops or activities that they believe will be professionally beneficial to SRJC Staff and Faculty as well as to the institution. The proposal will outline the activity, the goals, and the target audience. In this way, professional development will be more relevant to the needs of the staff and the college. How do I count credit for an activity? You receive one hour of credit for each hour of participation in an approved Faculty Professional Development Flex activity. How does conference attendance work with FPDF hours? You may receive FPDF credit for attending a conference if a flex proposal is submitted in advance. If the conference is on a teaching day, classroom instruction hours must be subtracted from total conference hours. The preparation required to teach or perform the services on a day- to-day basis ---such as reading and/or grading of student papers, preparing class lectures, attending regularly scheduled department or division meetings” - are a part of an individual’s professional obligation, and DO NOT meet the purpose of Title V regulations. See AFA Contract Article 17.01 and 32.01B. Can I receive credit for creating and presenting a Flex Workshop? Yes. You will receive FPDF credit equal to the number of hours for the workshop for its creation. You will also receive the same amount of credit for the presentation of the workshop itself. If you present multiple workshops you will only receive credit for the first presentation. Presenter Flex Info What if I have an idea for - or I want to present - a workshop or activity? Submit a Menu of Activity Proposal Form to the Staff Development office with your suggestion. The PDC will review for appropriateness for faculty flex credit. All ideas are WELCOME!! How will I know when new activities have been added so that I can sign up for them? The Staff Development Resource Center office will maintain a Menu of Activities, updated when new activities are approved. Go to www.santarosa.edu/src. Click on Professional Development, and then select Menu of Activities. Workshop/activity information will be distributed via email as time permits. No, there can be no banking from one academic year to the next, however, credit can be given during summer (after July 1) or winter break for the following semester. Please note: Adjunct faculty run the risk of not being paid for flex hours completed in advance of the semester, if a change to their teaching schedule results in a change (decrease) to their flex obligation. If I teach an overload am I obligated for additional PD hours? No. Can I receive flex credit for taking an SRJC class? You may receive credit for taking an SRJC class, but if you apply for fee reimbursement you may not receive flex credit. What happens if I do not fulfill all of my contractual obligations for Faculty Professional Development in the academic year? Since the Faculty Professional Development flex days are paid working days, your pay will be reduced at your contract load rate by the number of unfulfilled hours unless you file an absence form using your sick leave or personal necessity leave. If your pay is docked (as opposed to using sick leave), this will also affect your STRS service credit; that year will be counted as less than one full year towards the total number of year required for retirement. All applicable forms for regular faculty must be received in the Resource Center on or before May 1 in order to avoid payroll docking at the end of the academic year.
BACK TO TOPAdjunct Faculty – FAQ’sLegend: Why do I have to do faculty development activities? The Academic Calendar is comprised of 177 instructional days. SRJC has identified 4 of these days for professional development. These 4 days are paid working days and, as such, must be accountable to the state auditors. Thus SRJC must require participation in Faculty Professional Development Flex (FPDF) activities and document how those 4 days are used. As an adjunct instructor, what is my Faculty Professional Development obligation? Adjunct faculty will be responsible for the hours they would normally teach a semester length class, falling on designated PDA days and will be able to flex hours that fall on the mandatory day – activities to take place during the semester in which they teach. Adjunct may do a flex activity prior to their assigned semester in which they teach; those hours are for their obligation within that upcoming semester only. If their class is cancelled they will not be paid for those hours, nor can the hours be "banked" for future semesters. For adjunct faculty instructors, are lab and lecture hours computed separately for FPDF obligation? No. Lecture hour and lab hour obligations are computed the same: one hour of lecture = one hour of flex, one hour of lab = 1 hour of flex, one hours of non-credit= 1 hours of flex. When can adjunct faculty complete Faculty Professional Development activities? Because adjunct faculty are paid on a semester-to-semester basis, you must complete your Professional Development activity within the semester you are employed by the District. Will Non-credit Unit A instructors be paid for Faculty Professional Development Activities? Yes, Non-credit instructors will be paid to perform FPD. Do I have to turn in a form to get credit for a professional development activity? If you are choosing a scheduled workshop, registering for the workshop, signing in, and submitting your verification form is sufficient. If you are creating an individual activity, a brief form (Individual/Group Flex Proposal Form) must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the activity. Currently these are the only ways we have of documenting for state reimbursement. Please see the SRC website for forms (www.santarosa.edu/src). What is the process for doing flexible hours? Do I need to fill out forms and get approval?
When should I contact Staff Development regarding an activity needing approval? The Professional Development Committee (PDC) meets twice per month on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays, during the fall and spring semesters. Please allow for 10 working days before a meeting in order to ensure that the proposed activity can be reviewed in time for you to count it. Do I have to turn in a form BEFORE I complete an individual activity? Yes, an Individual/Group Flex Proposal Form needs to be submitted two weeks prior to the date of the planned activity. Forms are available on the SRC website. What happens if I change my mind later about what I planned to do? If you have submitted a form for approval but do not follow through with the activity, please inform the SRC. You will need to file a new form or select another activity. Who determines what constitutes a professional development activity? The Professional Development Committee (PDC) is the body that interprets the Title V regulations as they apply to SRJC’s professional development activities. The PDC is made up of faculty appointed by the Academic Senate and AFA, classified staff and administrators. The decision to approve or deny a proposal resides exclusively with the PDC. Can I count ahead or "bank”? No, there can be no banking from one semester to the next, however, credit can be given during summer (after July 1) or winter break for the following semester. Please note: Adjunct faculty run the risk of not being paid for flex hours completed in advance of the semester, if a change to their teaching schedule results in a change (decrease) to their flex obligation. What happens if I do not fulfill all of my Faculty Professional Development requirement in a semester? Since the professional development hours are paid in advance, your pay will be docked by the number of unfulfilled hours. You must submit an absence form (NOA) prior to the appropriate deadline to use your sick leave or your personal necessity leave and in order to avoid payroll docking. What if I have an idea for or I want to present a workshop or activity? You can notify the Staff Resource Center and a staff person will follow up with your suggestion or schedule you for a FPDF presentation. All ideas are WELCOME!! Can I create individual flex activities for myself? Yes, you may fill out the individual flex proposal form which can be found on the Staff Development Resource Center website. You must submit the form to the SRC at least 2 weeks prior to the activity, and you will be informed of the approval after the Professional Development Committee (PDC) meets. This committee meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month during the fall and spring semesters. May I participate in special group activities? Of course! Departments and/or individuals may apply to have special group activities related to a specific topic or area, so you may want to check with your Department Chair to see if something will be happening in your own department or cluster. You do not need to apply for approval, but you will need to make certain that your attendance at these activities is noted on the sign-in sheet and your hours are submitted on a verification form. |
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