Maximizing Your Gavilan Salary

Based on October 2011 workshops featuring Ken Wagman, former GCFA president, math instructor, and salary maximizer

please send corrections to lhalper@garlic.com

1. Best strategy for everyone is salary track advancement-- For everyone, though how it works differs a bit for PT and FT faculty. You can use special projects, classes, seminars, conferences, or other activities to climb tracks up the salary schedule. This is the most direct way to make more money, and a fair amount can be made if you climb far enough. You would need to file the proper forms with the faculty staff development committee saying you have completed the projects or classes undertaken; see Faculty Staff Developent area of Intranet, and look at Track Advancement at a Glance and other forms.

2. For fulltimers only, co-curricular hours are required uniquely at Gavilan; 38 hours a year of mandated in-college work is required, but the requirements are very liberal—you can attend a sports event, for example; the work should benefit the college. April 1 is the firm deadline. You won't make more money this way but you could lose money if you don't do these.

3. For all faculty, flex hours are required. This is required in the contract and by the state. Everyone uses a flex form that is on the website but PT and FT forms differ as do deadlines and numbers of hours required. You could lose money if you didn't do these.

Fulltimers do 60 hours or ten days of relevant beneficial work for your classes or students. Fulltimers must do two 6-hour mandated flex days and could be docked pay for missing. A fulltimer  can do all the rest of her/his 60 hours whenever he/she wants before the end of the year. Six hours to a fulltime day.

A part timer does whatever percentage of 60 hours is proportional to his/her load –so someone with three units would do 6, six units would do 12, nine units would do 18 hours. Part timers do a form by the last day of the semester every semester to the department chair. It is on the contract that the part timer is responsible for doing it. Part timers may attend staff development days and count it for their flex or part of their flex. You can’t count something as flex time if the college is paying for it, such as a conference for which you got college monies.

4. Career increments—For full time faculty. Full-timers who get to 14^th step on salary schedule, the next five steps can be done differently: three co-curricular and special projects combine to get you up those steps. After you are up those steps, you keep advancing to step 22; after step 22 you are not advancing further at this point. You are however close to retirement.

5. Conference funds—For everyone. Part timers now have $100 a semester up to four semesters accumulation, then at four semesters. Must get approval from Faculty Staff Development Committee. It is not clear whether part timers also qualify for an extra $250 for meeting college mission with their conference, but they do get per diem for food, and they get mileage. See Travel and Conference on the GCFA website or the Faculty Staff Development page on the Intranet.

6. Mileage—For everyone. This is explained on the GCFA website. See Mileage.

7. Unemployment benefits-- For part time faculty. This is explained on the GCFA website. See Unemployment Benefits.

8. 457 --For full time faculty. Your pre tax dollars are saved and you can use them for medical expenses. See benefits document on GCFA website.

9. 401K--For full-time faculty. See benefits document on GCFA website.

10. Sick leave—10 days for full timers; proportional leave for part timers. See Part Time Faculty Sick Leave on GCFA website.