General Review of Board Policy -- 5/2/00 draft -- ACC Board of Trustees
SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES --- Individual-decision items
Proposed amendments shown in bold italic and strikethrough. Comments/attributions for proposed amendments shown in
Decisions at 5/1/00 meeting noted in [
CAPITALS] after the proposal number. Deferred items will be considered further at the 6/5/00 meeting. Withdrawn/rejected items will not be considered further in this policy-review process.Proposal 2: [ADOPTED] Amend section [3] to address evaluation of College President.
Sponsor's rationale: This important Board duty should be mentioned in policy.
B-2. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Board of Trustees has the responsibility for formulating public policy for the operation of the Austin Community College District. It functions as the legislative and policy-making body charged with the governance and control of activities within the College District. The formulation and adoption of written policy is the basic method by which the Board exercises its leadership in the operation of the College District. The Board delegates to the President of the College the function of specifying required actions and designing the detailed arrangements under which the College will be operated. The Board maintains and supervises the College by evaluating information and recommendations concerning implementation of its policies. The general responsibilities of the Board are:
[1] To adopt and periodically review a statement of philosophy that clarifies basic educational beliefs and educational responsibilities of the College for the community.
[2] To determine the quality of professional leadership needed to carry out the philosophy and objectives of the College.
[3] To select and appoint the President of the College, and provide a formal annual performance evaluation based primarily on the effectiveness of the implementation of Board policies. An informal feedback session will also be provided the President during each summer quarter.
[4] To establish the policies necessary for supporting operations of the College District.
[5] To review and take appropriate action on matters relating to site and facilities development.
[6] To provide ways and means of financial support, approve the annual budget, and review and approve expenditures as provided in College policy.
[7] To approve courses and programs of study that support community needs.
[8] To require and review appropriate administrative reports.
[9] To consider inquiries and requests from citizens and organizations on matters of policy, administration, and other items of public concern affecting the College District.
[10] To serve as a final adjudicating agency for students, employees, and citizens of the Austin Community College District on matters of Board policy.
[11] To bear the legal responsibility for all aspects of the operation of the College District.
[12] To choose its officers and advisors, and to plan its own activities and priorities.
Proposal 3 [REJECTED] Rotate Board-officer positions every year.
Sponsor's rationale: This change is intended to improve Board unity by familiarizing more trustees with officer roles, to help bring multiple perspectives to each area of officer responsibility, and to reduce burnout.
B-4. BOARD OF TRUSTEES BYLAWS
1. General Delegation of Authority for Board Procedure
The Board Chair shall decide any questions of Board procedure that are not addressed by, or that require interpretation of, law, Board policy, or specific Board resolutions.
2. Board Officers
The Board shall elect from among its members a Board Chair, who shall preside over Board meetings and shall coordinate policy-development activities and the Board-President relationship; a Board Vice-Chair, who shall coordinate the community-linkage activities of the Board and shall preside in the absence of the Board Chair; and a Board Secretary, who shall oversee and certify the records of the Board and shall coordinate monitoring of compliance with Board policy. These officers shall be elected at the first Board meeting after a Trustee election is completed, a year later, and when a vacancy in an office exists or is created by Board vote. No trustee may serve in the same office for more than two of any four consecutive years.
3. Board Meetings
3.1 Official meetings of the Board can be called, within the notification limits imposed by law, by the Board Chair or by any three Trustees. Except for special meetings called as emergencies in accordance with state law (and then by a 3/4 vote), the Board will not take a final vote on a topic at the first meeting at which it is discussed or at other than the first regular meeting of a month or its recessed continuation.
3.2 The College President and Board Chair shall develop proposed agendas for Board meetings in accordance with priorities set by the Board, with final authority on what is included in the agenda and agenda packet lying with the Board Chair. A motion to place an item on a particular future agenda shall, at the request of any trustee, be placed on the next agenda for determination by Board vote. The College President shall cause all Trustees to be sent the agenda and all supporting materials at least 5 days before the meeting, and shall cause all required legal postings of Board meetings. Only subjects on the agenda shall be considered at a meeting.
3.3 Robert's Rules of Order shall be used to conduct meetings of the Board and its committees, subject to these bylaws and applicable law. Final approval of any non-procedural motion requires affirmative votes in a public session from a majority of the full current membership of the Board. For procedural motions, amendments, and committee votes, the majorities required by Robert's Rules of Order shall be of members present and voting.
3.4 The College President shall cause to be kept all legally-required records of Board meetings. Minutes of the full Board shall accurately reflect the actions taken by the Board and the vote of each Trustee on those actions. When approved by the Board and signed by the Secretary, the minutes shall become the official record of a meeting. The Secretary shall have authority over how the decisions and activities of the Board are presented by the College.
4. Board Advisory Committees
[move to new policy B-7 if adopted]Proposal 7 [ADOPTED] Extension of provision on Board advisory committees.
Sponsor's rationale: This would set mechanisms and principles for use of Board advisory committees, but let each Board planning process decide just where and when to seek such independent community advice.
B-7. BOARD ADVISORY COMMITTEES
Board committees consisting primarily (or entirely) of non-Trustees may be established by the Board to advise it on specific issues. The role of Board advisory committees is to collect and sort information and to identify options for Board decision. Such committees shall thus avoid monolithic recommendations where diversity of opinion exists and shall not deal with issues for which there is no basis in policy for Board involvement. The College President shall meet reasonable committee requests for information and assistance, with the mediation of the Board Vice-Chair in resolving any disputes.
The Board shall each summer, and at other times as needed, decide on the extent and nature of the topics for which it wishes to use the advisory-committee mechanism. After considering suggestions from trustees, the President, and other interested groups, the Board Chair shall recommend for Board consideration a chair, membership, term, and charge for each such committee.
Proposal 8 [ADOPTED] Add a mutual-support provision to the College Unity section.
Sponsor's rationale: The authority delegated by the Board to administrative officers should be used to promote College unity.
C-2. COLLEGE ORGANIZATIONAL PRINCIPLES
A. College Unity
Austin Community College is a single college with multiple campuses and teaching sites, not a multi-college system. All employees, especially those with management responsibility, shall act to support the unity of the College by aligning their activities with the directives of the College's chief officers, by seeking what is best for the whole College rather than exclusively for a particular sector, and by fostering cooperation. College officers shall be supportive of each other and shall act in support of Board and Presidential directives.
B. Presidential Leadership
The President shall build a capable, unified, and diverse leadership group. As Chief Executive Officer, the President is responsible for determining and specifying in writing the staffing and scope of individual managerial positions, of institutional units, and of College-wide councils or committees. The President shall keep the other College officers well informed about Board and presidential issues, activities, and plans.
Proposal 12A [ADOPTED] Establish significance level for gifts.
Alternative 1: Insert "significant" in [1] (leave numbers to admin rule).
C-9. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The College President shall establish and enforce rules to keep college resources from being inappropriately used for personal gain. The rules shall forbid, in addition to activities forbidden by law, at least these activities:
[1] the acceptance of significant personal gifts from College vendors.
[2] participation of authors in decisions about use of their textbooks by the College.
[3] employment of a person under the supervisory jurisdiction of a close relative.
[4] the provision of college business to College managers or Trustees, or to their immediate family members. Provision of College business to firms in which such people have a substantial interest (as defined by Chapter 171 of the Texas Local Government Code) shall also be forbidden except when the President finds a compelling benefit for the College and the manager or Trustee publicly recuses themselves from the decision.
[5] significant use of College facilities, resources, or duty time for activities for which an employee is paid by anyone other than the College, except when such activities have been approved in writing by an authorized supervisor and appropriate compensation is made to the College.
[6] acceptance of compensation for referring students to vendors.
[7] resale of materials (e.g., textbooks) provided due to an employee's role at the College.
The rules shall also establish procedures by which College officers, and other employees when designated by the President, shall report any outside employment or paid consulting work. The President shall annually report to the Board a summary of enforcement activities associated with this policy.
Proposal 13 [DEFERRED] [BD] Add C[6] to report expenditures for officers.
Sponsor's rationale: This reporting approach will alert the Board to anything out of line in this area without requiring specific approvals.
C-10. PURCHASING
A. General Objectives
[1] To support the instructional mission of the College by procuring in a timely manner the specific equipment, services, and materials needed for effective College operations.
[2] To secure work and materials at the best value for the College.
[3] To provide opportunities for individual vendors, contractors, historically underutilized businesses, and small/local businesses to compete for College purchases/contracts in a fair and competitive environment, and to create an open process for procurement through competition.
B. Board Approval: The requirement for specific Board approval of vendor and price for purchasing, consulting, or contracting expenditures or commitments for related groups of items depends on the cost and on the extent of prior Board review. For multi-year purchases, the stated limits apply to total costs.
[1] Expenditures costing less than $25,000 never require such approval.
[2] Expenditures costing over $100,000 always require such approval.
[3] Expenditures costing between $25,000 and $100,000 require such approval unless either: [a] the Board has previously approved, after a public review period of a month or more, a budget or other written plan listing the items and their approximate cost, or [b] the expenditure is primarily to repair or replace an existing capability that has been unexpectedly lost, or [c] the expenditure is necessary to meet an emergency and is reported to the Board at its next meeting.
For items that require Board approval below $500,000 that are not design-build contracts, the administration shall provide a summary and evaluative judgments of vendor responses with a recommendation of a single vendor. Such items should be submitted to the Board early enough that it does not have to make its final decision at its first consideration of the item if it has unresolved questions or decides not to accept the administration's recommendation at the first meeting the item is on the agenda. In cases where the administration's recommendation is not accepted, consideration of alternatives shall occur at a subsequent meeting.
For items in excess of $500,000 and for all design-build contracts, a limited number of well-qualified vendors shall make presentations to the Board. The administration shall provide the Board with appropriate evaluative criteria or questions for use by the Board in the review process. The administration shall provide a summary of the proposals and provide evaluative judgment concerning strengths and weaknesses of these well-qualified vendors.
The Board shall generally assess the administration's recommendation by whether it and the process leading to it are in accord with Board policy and the General Objectives set forth in Section A of this policy, giving due deference to the administration’s expert judgment on whether a recommendation will meet General Objectives [1] and [2].
C. Reports: The administration shall provide quarterly reports and annual summaries on purchasing activities. Such reports shall include:
[1] purchase orders and contracts awarded to HUBs;
[2] purchase orders and contracts awarded to local vendors;
[3] state contract and state catalog purchases made;
[4] all contracts over $10,000; and
[5] an explanation of consulting fees in excess of $5,000 to a single vendor in a fiscal year.
[6] a listing of any expenditures directly for administrative officers that exceed $5000 or are unusual.
D. Responsible Contracting Practices
[1] In all purchasing and contracting decisions, employees shall make diligent efforts to include historically-underutilized-business (HUB) vendors and shall, where practicable, avoid practices that tend to exclude HUB vendors. ACC shall develop, maintain, and enhance the participation of minority-owned and women-owned firms in all phases of its procurement processes, supporting their efforts to compete for College business.
[2] The College shall encourage all vendors, suppliers, contractors, and professionals with whom it does business to support the common goal of equal opportunity and economic participation for all citizens. In expenditure of College funds, neither the College nor its contractors and suppliers shall discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, or sexual orientation, or on the basis of disabilities that do not significantly effect the quality of work.
[3] In deciding which functions to accomplish via external contractors, the administration shall take care not to support patterns of employment that fail to meet community compensation standards.
[4] Contracts shall be opened for bid on an equal basis by all qualified vendors at least once every five years (or on completion for contracts longer than five years).
Proposal 16 [ADOPTED] Add requirement for TV broadcasts of Board meetings.
Sponsor's rationale: Televising Board meetings will enable more of the public to see and hear what the Board does and will thus promote the interest of open government.
C-13. COLLEGE-COMMUNITY LINKAGES
It is important that the College create and maintain strong community linkages at many levels. Such linkages should be part of coordinated plans based on principles and priorities adopted by the Board or President. Accordingly:
A. Communication Linkages:
[1] Staff-community linkages: The President shall ensure that the College maintains a system to receive external information and advice on how the College can best serve its community, especially from sectors that directly deal with the College’s entrants or graduates. This system shall be structured so as to promote productive College-community interaction. The President shall also ensure that the College has appropriate representation in relevant community organizations and events.
[2] Board-community linkages: In addition to the activities individual Trustees choose to undertake as elected officials, the Board shall have an organized program of interaction with the community. The Vice-Chair of the Board shall coordinate this program, aligning it with a priority list adopted annually by the Board. The College shall provide electronic dissemination of Board-meeting proceedings, including cable television, whenever feasible.
[3] Citizen communications: At the first business meeting of each month, citizens may address the Board according to the published procedures, which shall be uniformly applied so as to provide fair access to all citizens.
B. Operational Linkages:
The College shall respond to community needs by creating appropriate partnerships or contractor-client relationships with community organizations. Negotiation of such agreements is the responsibility of the President, subject to Board approval if they are multi-year agreements or involve expenditures in excess of the approval limits established in policy C-10, Purchasing. Proposals for partnership agreements should include an economic analysis, and should ensure that each party bears an appropriate share of the costs.
C. Reports to the Board:
The President shall report annually to the Board on the nature and extent of linkage activities, on the financial terms and operational results of community partnerships, and on any plans or recommendations for changes in this area.
Proposal 18 [ADOPTED] Add policy about principles for auxiliary enterprises [sections 1-4].
Sponsor's rationale: This policy would express Board values about the approach the College should take to the main types of auxiliary enterprise, and make information about enterprises/contracts publicly available.
Proposal 18A [ADOPTED] Require Board approval for long-term subleases [section 5].
Sponsor's rationale: Long-term allocations of College space to external entities should receive Board review.
C-14. AUXILIARY ENTERPRISES
[proposed new policy] [1] General student-service enterprises: Services run or contracted for by the College whose primary function is to provide general services to students (e.g., food-service providers) should be awarded and/or operated under terms which maximize the value of those services to students, rather than maximizing the economic return to the College. Allocation of facilities and other resources in support of such enterprises should reflect an analysis of student demand.
[2] Specialized student-service enterprises: Student-oriented services whose benefits are limited to a small fraction of students should generally be operated at approximately breakeven, unless a planned subsidy has been allocated as part of the budget process.
[3] Other enterprises: Activities not primarily oriented to serving students (e.g., a public golf course) should be operated so as to yield maximal sustained gain for the College. For any such activities whose gross revenues exceed $500,000 per year, the administration shall, during the master-planning process, provide the Board an analysis showing its plans for achieving this objective.
[4] Reports: Each year the administration shall provide a public report on any continuing contracts or financial agreements the College has with external parties.
[5] Provision of space: Allocation for a year or more of significant College facilities to the use of external entities requires a cost/benefit analysis and Board approval.
Proposal 19 [WITHDRAWN] Delete "The College shall generally place at least as high a value on such direct instruction as on other faculty work." sentence from section A.
Sponsor's rationale: I don't know what this means or what consequences it has. If it's important, let's reword it.
Proposal 20: [AMENDED] Alternatives for provision about work assignments.
Alternative 3: Leave current provision unchanged -- CHANGE "may" to "shall".
Proposal 21: [LEFT UNCHANGED] Change provision C[2] on adjunct-faculty workload.
D-3. FACULTY WORKLOADS
A. Faculty Duties:
In this and all other Board policies, the term "faculty" does not refer to the adjunct faculty or faculty paid hourly unless specifically indicated.
The College shall maintain a clear delineation of duties for adjunct and full-time faculty. Standard adjunct-faculty duties relate to areas of direct instruction, including needed preparation and grading, and the associated section-specific student consultation. The College shall generally place at least as high a value on such direct instruction as on other faculty work. The College shall usually rely on full-time faculty for further required faculty work, such as subject-area advising, instructional planning, curriculum innovation, program and personnel evaluation, supervision of adjunct faculty, and shared-governance responsibilities. For appropriate liaison or specialized tasks, or when there are not enough full-time faculty in an area, adjunct faculty may be selected to work in these areas.
B. Faculty
[1] The total responsibilities of faculty positions shall require at least 40 hours per week on a full-time basis. Such positions are filled by the faculty appointment process described in Policy F-4. They will typically be on a full-time basis, but the President may establish fractional faculty positions when deemed appropriate, in which case both the salary and all the responsibilities described below are reduced proportionally. Faculty contracts are for a 10˝-month period which generally includes Fall Semester, Spring Semester, and six weeks of the Summer Semester. Faculty have the option of choosing a nine-month contract at 6/7 of the 10˝-month pay if they so desire.
[2] The workload for faculty will typically include a teaching courseload of 30 lecture equivalent hours (LEH) for an academic year (an average of 15 hours per week), and 5 or 6 additional LEH in a summer semester. Faculty members shall schedule at least five office hours per week for consultation with students, and shall make at least five additional office hours per week available by appointment.
[3] The President shall set equivalency rules for faculty workloads to determine how labs, unusual teaching situations, and other modes of direct student contact will be counted toward this courseload. These rules may also provide that only partial credit is given for sections substantially smaller than the target size for that course.
[4] The President shall specify workload and vacation rules for faculty whose primary responsibilities are other than classroom teaching, such as librarians and counselors with faculty status.
[5] Each faculty member shall be expected to share responsibilities related to the total concerns of the College. Such responsibilities include instructional development, faculty meetings, committee and task-force assignments, registration duties, student advisement, other assigned responsibilities, and appropriate self-directed professional activities. The President may correspondingly reduce courseloads and/or provide stipends to faculty members whose non-teaching assignments substantially exceed the typical amount.
[6] Faculty members who, with appropriate approvals, teach more than a full courseload (with appropriate additional office hours) shall be paid for the excess at adjunct-faculty rates.
[7] Each faculty member shall be consulted prior to the determination of his or her teaching schedule and work assignments; however, the administration may make work and class assignments as needed.
C. Adjunct Faculty
[1] Adjunct faculty are hired by the College on an as-needed basis for direct instruction. Their course-based compensation, which is proportional to the number of lecture hours taught (or equivalent), covers the time used for direct instruction, course preparation, grading, and at least one office hour per course per week for individual consultation with students. Any additional work asked of people serving as adjunct faculty, such as service on official instructional or governance committees, task forces, or councils (including the Adjunct Faculty Council), is not part of the standard adjunct-faculty job and shall be compensated separately.
[2] The President shall ensure that the College's employment of adjunct faculty is not excessive or poorly controlled, and that the College does not usually only rarely permits adjunct-faculty workloads in excess of 9 credit hours or 11 LEH per week.
D. Reports
The President shall report to the Board during the annual budget process on the recent and projected pattern of faculty courseloads, including overloads and courseload reductions, and on the recent and projected level of use of adjunct faculty. This report shall describe the process by which courseload reductions are allocated, listing the justifications and the estimated hours of extra work beyond the standard expectation.
Proposal 23 [WITHDRAWN] Delete "However, care is required …" sentence.
Sponsor's rationale: This sentence does not add to the policy, and is implied by the substantive provisions that follow it.
Proposal 24: [WITHDRAWN] MSTA appointment criteria.
Alternative 1 [JW] Base MSTA appointments solely on evaluations.
Sponsor's rationale: The MSTA selection process has been the subject of considerable controversy, with allegations of favoritism and bias. Selecting MSTA's on any basis other than performance evaluations (such as interviews) only encourages such controversy. The point of the MSTA provision in the adjunct faculty policy is to try to retain the best adjunct faculty at ACC. If our evaluation process is good, that is the basis we should use for selection. If it is not, we need to work on it.
Alternative 2 [HE] Include College need as MSTA appointment criterion.
Sponsor's rationale: While performance evaluations (especially as now done) should be one of the main considerations for MSTA appointments, the match of faculty members to the courses and time slots needed by the College is also of fundamental importance.
Proposal 25 [WITHDRAWN] replace [10] by this sentence: "The College reporting structure should be clear to all employees."
Sponsor's rationale: I think the current policy is too wordy – that we should stipulate the desired end in policy and leave the how-to to the administration.
D-6. EMPLOYMENT OF ADJUNCT FACULTY
While faculty whom the College employs on a multi-year basis and who have additional mandatory non-instructional duties (referred to in this policy as full-time faculty) have the central role in organizing and delivering its instruction, adjunct faculty also provide essential services in most instructional areas. Among other benefits, employment of adjunct faculty permits the College to schedule flexibly, to provide students direct access to working professionals in the fields they wish to enter, to refresh the instructional dialog with new perspectives, and to achieve for each area an appropriate balance of overall faculty effort between direct instruction and other needed faculty work.
However, care is required for the best employment of adjunct faculty. The President shall maintain systems that ensure that use of adjunct faculty by the College meets community standards for responsible employment and that it does not result in diminished or uneven instructional effectiveness or violation of accreditation criteria.
Accordingly:
[1] priority of instructional effectiveness: The foremost consideration in hiring and scheduling all faculty shall be to ensure that instruction systematically meets high standards for effectiveness both in imparting needed skills and in successful student completion of programs.
[2] evaluation: Adjunct-faculty evaluation, which shall be coordinated by task forces and/or program coordinators in the discipline, should be multi-faceted, based on published criteria, include appropriate observation, and determine whether the course syllabus and the skill levels covered by tests match the standards established for the course. Adjunct faculty shall be promptly and fully informed of the results of their evaluations, which shall be used to develop plans for improvement of performance where needed.
[3] appropriate balance of adjunct and full-time faculty: The President shall develop and implement plans, subject to Board approval, to hire the number of full-time faculty required to ensure quality, provide needed academic support activities throughout each area, and meet accreditation criteria, and shall make rules to limit use of adjunct faculty to a level that does not jeopardize these goals.
[5] assignment of adjunct sections: Consistent and comprehensive effectiveness in serving student needs will require, in addition to specific individual teaching skills, connection of the College to all parts of its diverse community and predictability of employment for successful adjuncts. Adjunct sections shall be assigned so as to [a] provide a controlled but sustained influx of new people into each area of substantial adjunct-faculty use, [b] make extensive use of multiple-semester appointments for adjunct faculty
Proposal 26A [DEFERRED] Approval level for facilities names.
Alternative 1: Require Board approval for all facilities names.
Rationale: Naming a College facility after a person or organization is a long-term decision that needs to be handled in a way that balances a variety of values. Board review will help produce this result.
Alternative 2: Require Board approval to name facilities for people or organizations.
Rationale: This would handle the most sensitive case, but leave other naming to the administration.
Alternative 3: Leave policy unchanged (Board approval of names never required).
E-2. PROVISION OF COLLEGE FACILITIES
The President, in the context of a multi-year facilities plan updated and submitted for Board approval annually as part of the integrated Master Plan called for in Policy E-1, shall ensure that facilities are provided and allocated so as to support effective instruction, reflect community needs and declared College priorities, and maximize long-term economic value.
[1] Facilities planning and allocation shall be driven by both economic considerations and responsiveness to the educational needs of students and of College employees engaged in providing services to students, who shall be consulted extensively during planning for facilities they will use. In addition to full provision for needed classrooms, laboratories, and learning resources, adequate space shall be provided for faculty offices, student activities, and administrative functions.
[2] The facilities plan shall discuss the extent of unsatisfied demand due to facilities limitations, especially when related to programs or functions previously identified as College priorities, and any geographic demand/supply imbalances.
[3] Facilities shall be built and maintained so as to give good long-term economic value, with a preference for owned rather than leased space. Care shall be taken to avoid practices (e.g., short-lived components, undersized classrooms) in which reduced initial construction costs are more than offset by increased operational costs. The facilities plan shall describe methods and plans to ensure that use of College space is highly efficient.
[4] The College shall develop analyses, based mainly on data from exemplary comparable institutions, to estimate the amount, type, and distribution of facilities appropriate for current and projected enrollments, program mix, and staffing levels.
[5] As part of the annual facilities plan, the Board shall be provided a report updating these analyses, comparing current College facilities usage with desired patterns, and recommending priorities for facilities development.
[6] The administration shall provide reasonable estimates, suitable for use in economic analyses of programs, of the typical annual costs of the various types of facility space used in College operations, including both operating costs and appropriate amortization of capital costs.
[7] College facilities-development activities shall be conducted so as to respect other community priorities, including environmental protection and respect for the City of Austin's desired development zone.
[8] Fundraising for facilities by the College and/or Foundation shall be for projects that have received Board approval. [Designation of names for facilities requires Board approval.
Proposal 27 [WITHDRAWN] Delete section [3] on inter-campus disparities.
Sponsor's rationale: The disparities have been corrected now or are being corrected. The policy should just state that "resources will be allocated to campuses based on objective justifications and criteria".
E-3. COLLEGE BUDGET
The President shall, prior to the end of June each year, develop and submit to the Board and for public review a proposed annual budget that:
[1] Provides adequate support for the educational programs of the College, based on efficient operation of both direct and support services.
[2] Distributes resources primarily on objective criteria based on student enrollment and program needs.
[3] Provides a justification or plan for correction of any substantial disparities in the resources supplied to serve students in similar programs at different campuses.
[4] Budgets revenues and expenses based on actual expected performance. When there is substantial uncertainty about performance in an area, the associated budget projection should be moderately conservative; in such cases, the administration should describe its targets for the area and the budget effects of the range of plausible outcomes.
[5] Budgets expected overall current-funds expenses plus transfers mandated by law or policy of less than expected current-funds revenues, and budgets fund balances within the limits imposed by policy E-6, Fund Balance.
[6] Is consistent with a multi-year master plan developed in compliance with policy E-1 on Master Planning.
[7] Provides a recent history and (to the extent feasible) a three-year plan for tuition/fee levels, enrollment, overall revenues and expenses, debt service, plant-fund expenditures, and fund-balance levels, with a description of planning assumptions and significant changes.
When deemed appropriate by the administration, capital items in an annual budget may be purchased during the period after budget approval but prior to the start of the fiscal year.
The President shall inform the Board whenever the actual performance of the College differs significantly from the approved budget, and shall propose corrective budget amendments if projected performance differs from the budget target for current-funds surplus by more than ˝% of annual Education&General-fund revenues.
Proposal 28 [DEFERRED] Generalize President's tuition-waiver authority.
Sponsor's rationale: In anticipation that tuition for other groups may be waived by the legislature, I'd like the policy to be generalized.
E-8. TUITION AND FEE RATES
[1] The tuition rates for in-district college-credit students shall be set by the Board. Except when the Board explicitly directs otherwise, tuition rates for other students shall be set by the President in accordance with this policy. To the extent feasible, general charges shall be assessed as tuition.
[2] In order to maintain a tuition differential that is fair both to ACC taxpayers and to Texas-resident ACC students who live outside the taxing district, the credit-hour differential for such students shall reflect the local tax effort in support of in-district students. It shall thus be the ratio of annual property-tax revenues to annual in-district credit hours, except that any term-to-term increase in the differential shall be no more than $3 per credit-hour. The President is authorized and encouraged to use any available method to lessen the impact of this tuition differential on economically-disadvantaged students.
[3] The further per-credit-hour differential in tuition rates for students who do not qualify as Texas residents shall be no less than the ratio of all revenues from state government to total credit hours by in-state students.
[4] Student fees must be approved annually by the Board, with justifications, revenue/cost estimates, and proposed changes listed during budget deliberations.
[5] The President may adopt rules waiving all or part of the tuition and/or other charges for appropriate groups of students, as permitted by law senior citizens or students enrolled under a joint-credit agreement with a school district, with an annual report to the Board on the nature and extent of such waivers.
[6] The President shall set charges for non-credit and continuing-education classes that at least cover operational, indirect, and overhead costs, except where specific below-cost sectors have been approved by Board vote.
Alternative 1: Give 30 days prior notice -- replace current language with:
Alternative 2: Report annually -- replace current language with:
Alternative 3: Leave current policy/provisions unchanged.
Current wording of policy provisions that would be replaced:
E-12. ROUTINE REAL-ESTATE ITEMS
The President shall report to the Board during the annual budget process on any planned changes in workload rules or practices that would result in a change in expenditure of more than $100,000/year
Any change in administrative placement rules with a financial impact of more than $100,000 in a fiscal year must have administrative approval, preferably during the budget process
Changes in Administrative Rules on leave must be approved if their financial impact would be more than $100,000 per year
Proposal 29 (previously 32) [WITHDRAWN] Delete placement/advancement policy.
Sponsor's rationale: Elimination of a policy mandate for experience steps will free the administration to better match pay scales to performance and to the College's economic condition, based on plans approved as part of the budget process.
F-5. PLACEMENT/ADVANCEMENT
Proposal 29A [DEFERRED] Include encouragement of provision of insurance benefits.
Sponsor's rationale: This would state as a basic Board value a principle implied by other Board policies and recent actions.
Proposal 30 [DEFERRED] Delete all details on leave (handle by administrative rule).
Sponsor's rationale: These statements do not state or reflect a value of the College – they are procedural rules.
F-10. EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
A. Coverage
[1] The provisions of this policy apply to staffing-table positions. Benefits may be provided for other classes of employees when deemed appropriate by the President, provided that the rates at which leave is earned do not exceed those for staffing-table positions.
[2] Provisions for employee leave benefits should be within the range of comparable institutions. Use and accumulation of all leave is subject to administrative rules set by the President; in particular, use of annual leave may be restricted at times where it would interfere with meeting teaching assignments or needed seasonal work.
[3] Since providing education benefits to its employees is in its best interests, the College shall generally pay employee tuition and fees at the College, within limits set by administrative rule.
[4] To the extent feasible, long-term jobs at the College should be structured so as to qualify for state insurance benefits.
B. Standard Leave
[1] Staffing-table employees are eligible to accrue annual leave after the first ninety (90) days of employment.
[2] The standard amount of annual leave for eligible employees shall be 15 days per year during their first 5 years in an ACC staffing-table position and 20 days per year after that.
[3] No more than 30 days of annual leave may be accumulated; employees are paid for any unused annual leave upon separation.
[4] Faculty members with less than year-round employment do not earn annual leave.
[5] Up to 19 paid holidays may be provided each year, as specified by the College President.
C. Exceptional Leave
[1] Sick leave is earned at the rate of 1 day per month, with a maximum of 150 days, and taken as needed. Half of any accumulated excess over 120 days is paid on separation.
[2] Paid leave may also be taken for jury duty, the birth or adoption of a child (10 days), the death of a close relative (3 days), and military reserve training (up to 10 days).
[3] Unpaid leave, with or without benefits, may be granted at the discretion of the administration.
[4] The President shall establish a sick-leave pool in accordance with state law.
Proposal 31 [DEFERRED] Select approach to notification and approval requirements about staffing-table and administrative-staffing requirements.
Alternative 1:
[1] The President shall, as part of the budget process, publish a staffing table giving the planned distribution of long-term positions for the year, with identification of administrative positions and of any changes from the previous year. This staffing table shall list positions, not names. Board approval for changes in the staffing table is required only where specified by policy. The President shall provide Board members a description and justification of significant staffing-table changes prior to public announcement of them.
[2] Board approval for changes in the staffing table is not required unless the changes would increase the total number of administrative positions, increase administrative salaries or stipends, or increase the annual rate of personnel expense by more than $100,000.
[3] Hiring of employees, placement of individual employees on pay scales, and assignment of individuals to positions shall be done by the College administration and do not require Board approval, except for the 10 highest-paid administrative positions.
[4] Neither the staffing table nor appointment to a staffing table position is a contract between the College and any particular employee. Employment contracts may be issued only when specifically approved by the Board.
Alternative 2:
Alternative 3:
F-13. STAFFING
(base language after minor/editorial amendments; see alternative proposed replacements above)[1] The President shall, as part of the budget process, publish a staffing table giving the planned distribution of long-term positions for the year, with identification of any changes from the previous year. This staffing table shall list positions, not names.
[2] Board approval for changes in the staffing table is not required unless the changes would increase the total number of administrative positions, increase administrative salaries or stipends, or increase the annual rate of personnel expense by more than $100,000.
[3] Hiring of employees, placement of individual employees on pay scales, and assignment of individuals to positions shall be done by the College administration and do not require Board approval.
[4] Neither the staffing table nor appointment to a staffing table position is a contract between the College and any particular employee. Employment contracts may be issued only when specifically approved by the Board.