Sabbatical leave process is in jeopardy

Rio Hondo's Faculty has recently begun discussions with school District officials over possible changes to a previous sabbatical policy that, unless resolved, may lead to an Unfair Labor Practices suit. Sabbaticals, for those unsure of its purpose, serve both the faculty and the students at Rio Hondo as a way of further developing a given professors educational practices.

Current policy allows sabbaticals for every seven year cycle of employment at the college and allows anywhere from three to a maximum of five faculty members on sabbatical. In the upcoming school year a total of three faculty members will be undertaking a sabbatical with the goal of strengthening their field and practices.

When on sabbatical instructors are given a time off from the usual teaching of classes and instead undergo a project in their given field, in exchange for the project and its future benefits faculty members are paid 85% of their regular salary.
To be allowed a sabbatical a proposed project is submitted, reviewed and then approved by a committee consisting of faculty and administration. If approved the professor, or instructor, and are given anywhere from six months to a year in which to complete the project.

Projects may consist of a variety of goals which can range from the writing of a book, studies in a particular field, or extensive research that may require a professor to travel. On the same note sabbaticals may also consist of several small projects or research expeditions that will allow the faculty member to expand their abilities and techniques.

One such sabbatical was recently taken by Professor of Anthropology Adam Wetsman who on a trip to Peru researched its most famous anthropological site Machu Picchu. Wetsman then used the research gained from the trip to expand on subject matter in his courses. Further projects undertaken by Wetsman included the development of audio-visual presentations for students who will be taking anthropology courses online.

However not all sabbaticals require research expeditions but can also be smaller in their scope an example of which is the investigation of the use of training mannequins for the Nursing program. Other projects can consist of the developing of new courses, programs or the expanding of techniques and technologies.

The current issue however lies with an attempt by District officials to alter an existing sabbatical practice in a contract between faculty and school administration. Currently, specific terms in the contract govern policy ranging from the minor to larger policies like those concerning faculty sabbaticals and units per term, 15 for every instructor.

However not all policies and practices are clearly stated by the contract these practices when used in the past are grandfathered in as a "past practice." One such practice in regards to sabbaticals allows faculty members while to teach up to 6 units per term while on sabbatical.

Changes to this particular practice, and other "past practices," cannot be made without negotiations by both parties involved and is in fact a legal ruling by the Public Employee Relations Board. Despite this the District has chosen to move forward with changing the practice to prohibit faculty from teaching more than a single class.

An upsetting turn of events for faculty members who feel that resources should be held for more important situations when the matter at hand could easily be solved during negotiations for the 2010-2013 contract.

However no halting of the decision has yet to be made on the part of the administration despite talks between The Faculty Association two vice-presidents and Rio Hondo College President Dr. Ted Martinez, Jr.

Preventative measures have begun by the Faculty Association in the form of an Unfair Labor Practice suit. According to Professor Wetsman the association is confident in their suit as "the law and the facts are clearly on our side." He continues, "we have proposed a quite viable and workable solution to the problem, but the District has, up to this point, been unwilling to compromise.