Facing a $4-million shortfall in funding due from the state, the Board of Trustees of Illinois Eastern Community Colleges has reduced faculty salaries $1.2-million by reducing faculty headcount. The district had already cut non-faculty staff and administrative salaries and other spending by $2.1-million.
Those prior cuts included reduction in staff headcount, unpaid holidays, reduction of 14 employees in the Department of Corrections education program, and a freeze on all other non-faculty staff salaries. These cash flow changes have already occurred and included only non-faculty employees.
The board also previously instituted a high deductible health insurance plan for all non-faculty employees. The faculty remains on the higher cost health plan and has lost no pay through unpaid holidays. Faculty members also received a pay increase last fall when all other employees’ salaries were frozen. Faculty will again receive a pay raise this fall.
The faculty members on the reduction in force list reduce costs by $1,276,000. CEO Terry Bruce said, “It is hoped that many faculty members may be recalled this fall, but the law requires that notice be given 60 days before the end of school on May 14.”
The action was taken at a reconvened board meeting, held Tuesday, March 3 at Olney Central College.
All members of the Board of Trustees were present. Voting yes on the reduction in force (RIF) were trustees Brenda Culver, Andrew Fischer, William Hudson, Walter Koertge and Marilyn Wolfe. Voting no were trustees John Brooks and Michael Correll, and student trustee Carter Wilkinson.
The 21 faculty members on the RIF list are:
Frontier Community College: Kathy Doty.
Lincoln Trail College: Beatrice Abernathy, Lonnie Devin, Jill Stukenberg and Phillip Thorsen.
Olney Central College: Shasta Bennett, Tyler Boyles, Michael Conn, Amie Mayhall, Michael McKern, Gary Spraggins, Daniel Tahtinen and Teresa Tegeler.
Wabash Valley College: Clyde Buck, John Kendall, Mary Mersinger, Wayne Morris, Cathy Robb and Brian Wick.
Nursing Faculty: Catherine Ross, FCC (OCC), Tommie (Libby) Opell, LTC (OCC).
In other action at Tuesday’s meeting:
The faculty seniority list for the 2009-2010 academic year was approved.
Faculty members were reemployed for the 2010-2011 academic year, including 67 with continuation of tenure, 11 with initial tenure and 14 on non-tenure.
The retirement of Donald Florida, Instructor, was accepted, effective June 1.
The retirement of Darla Brooke, Library Assistant at Wabash Valley College, was accepted, effective May 1.
The retirement of Christine Raley, Administrative Assistant at the District Office, was accepted, effective April 2.
Three resignations were accepted, as follows:
George Hess, Program Director, Emergency Preparedness & Industrial Quality Management, Frontier Community College, effective March 27.
Leslie Duncan, Bookstore Assistant, Lincoln Trail College, effective March 13.
Amanda Musgrave, Administrative Assistant, Frontier Community College, effective February 27.
Next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees will be Tuesday, March 16, at 7 p.m. at Wabash Valley College, Mt. Carmel.
