ACC intends to (1) attract and retain a workforce with sustained high effectiveness in meeting student needs, (2) act as an ethical and responsible employer, (3) [develop and maintain a fair and competitive salary] structure and (4) make efficient use of student and public funds for compensation administration.
A compensation administration plan will be developed as a means of managing payroll costs and salary expenditures and shall be included in the annual proposed operating budget developed by the College administration. The President shall accordingly, consistent with fiscal constraints and meeting the College's multiple needs, develop plans and proposals to meet the following goals:
[1] Ensure an adequate staffing level to meet the mission and goals of the College by employing regular staff and minimizing reliance on part-time, temporary or hourly employees.
[2] Maintain a compensation program of competitive salaries and benefits that ensures fair pay for the employees’ contributions to the College mission, with no employee paid less than the community-accepted level of a "living wage".
[3] All compensation survey data will be shared with the appropriate employee group. The administration will seek to reach consensus with the employee group on the compensation plan that is included in the proposed operating budget.
[4] For employee categories, compensation shall, on the average, be market competitive:
- For non-faculty employees (classified, professional-technical and administrators), the relevant competitive market shall be the non-faculty classifications of Texas metropolitan community colleges and similar positions in the local area.
Each year the pay ranges will be compared to current market rates. The administration will establish priorities for salary range and/or salary adjustments as needed for salary alignment within the pay grades. Any proposed range or salary adjustments will be included in the proposed budget submitted to the Board.
The administration will obtain non-faculty survey information from the College and University Personnel Association (CUPA), the Austin Area Pay and Benefits Survey and other relevant surveys to be included in the market survey results.
The non-faculty employees’ compensation survey shall be conducted every two years. In the alternate years, non-faculty employees’ pay scale shall be adjusted to reflect at least the cost-of-living adjustment as approved by the Board. The adjustments shall be included in the proposed operating budget.
- For full-time faculty positions, the relevant market shall be full-time faculty with equivalent experience and education at the Texas metropolitan community colleges.
The Texas Community College Teachers Association Full-Time Faculty Survey shall be used to determine market salaries. The methodology to determine market competitive salaries shall be the comparison of each college’s average salaries of actual salaries paid to full-time faculty assuming a nine-month contract. The lowest and highest actual salaries for bachelor’s, master’s, MA+24, MA+48 and Ph.D. levels shall be compared for each level. Based upon analysis of the survey data, the compensation of full-time faculty shall be established in the top three of the Texas metropolitan community colleges.
The administration will obtain actual faculty salaries from the Texas metropolitan community colleges. The administration will also obtain the faculty surveys of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the College and University Personnel Association (CUPA) to validate the Texas Community College Teachers Association Full-Time Faculty Survey data.
- For adjunct faculty the relevant comparison markets shall be the part-time faculty at the Austin metropolitan area institutions of higher education.
The methodology shall be to compare the college’s average salary of actual salaries paid to part-time faculty teaching the lower-division classroom sections. The average ACC compensation shall be the average of the middle half of the distribution. The administration may make reasonable estimates where needed to supplement the published data.
The adjunct faculty compensation survey shall be conducted every two years. In the alternative years, the adjunct faculty pay scale shall be adjusted to reflect at least the cost-of-living adjustment or adjustment as approved by the Board. The adjustments shall be included in the proposed operating budget.
[5] Adjust pay scales annually to reflect cost-of-living changes (including inflation), with cost-of-living adjustments usually applied on the same basis to all pay scales.
[6] As part of the annual operating budget process, the proposed budget shall reflect the pay scales that reflect the above principles and include projections for cost-of-living adjustments, market adjustments, changes in staffing levels and identify any major changes in compensation administration that impact the budget. Board approval of pay scales and rules shall be based primarily on the extent to which the President's recommendation is consistent with the provisions of Board policy and planning directives.
[7] Compensation rates and proposed changes in them are to be publicly announced and shall normally be implemented as part of the budget process. Compensation changes at other times shall be made only in cases of documented urgent need approved by the President, after informing the employee associations and considering their comments. Changes require specific Board approval if the action increases a person's compensation rate by 10% or more or if the cumulative unapproved changes to the budget during the year would exceed $10,000/month.
[8] When a budget falls short of meeting the goals of this policy, the budget shall allocate between 4% and 6% of projected annual revenues for market level adjustments, cost of living increases, experience adjustments, stipends, and awards.
[9] An appropriate relationship shall be maintained between the compensation packages of executives and senior administrators and the compensation for other classes of employees. Any compensation increase in excess of the average percentage increase for other employees for an employee serving as a College administrative officer requires specific Board approval.
[10] Under extraordinary circumstances, the President may propose a budget which falls short of meeting the goals of this policy. While revenues and expenditures may fluctuate annually, the President shall strive to allocate sufficient funds for market-level adjustments and cost-of-living increases.
