As agreed upon during negotiations with the All Faculty Association two years ago, the SRJC Board of Trustees has reinstated delayed sabbaticals for teachers beginning in the 2012-13 semesters, despite some controversy about the timing of the revision.

The board meeting took place Feb. 8, where the issue of revisions to the previously approved sabbatical program seemed the most controversial.

The AFA agreed to postpone approved sabbaticals for two years in 2009 as part of cost-reduction measures proposed by the Board of Trustees. The approved sabbaticals are due to resume in the Fall 2011 semester, just as heavy reductions to the school budget are expected with the release of Governor Brown’s proposed state budget plan.

Sabbatical Committee Co-Chair Micca Gray defended the sabbatical program at the meeting: “It is a rare experience which takes them [faculty members] out of their classroom to become students, discoverers and creators…We are all grateful for these opportunities.”

Although faculty and staff members strongly urge the importance of the sabbatical program to SRJC students and to the institution itself, some board members felt that in a time of fiscal crisis the college simply can’t afford paid sabbatical leaves. Board member Rick Call voiced that concern during the Board of Trustees meeting.

“We’re in a deeper financial situation now than the last couple years. Every constituent group in our campus is sacrificing something,” Call said, referring to the financial difficulties that await SRJC. “I feel that this period we’re in right now is probably a good time to really take a good look at this sabbatical program.”

According to mathematics instructor and AFA President Warren Ruud, the cost of the sabbatical program is only a small percentage of SRJC’s budget, compared to the salaries and benefits of faculty and staff, which comprise roughly 85 percent of the budget.

Despite the commencement of the delayed sabbaticals, the state of the sabbatical program is still unknown.

“The question is whether this program is going to continue,” Ruud said. He said that even though there is talk among board members about extending the moratorium on sabbaticals, any action or proposal regarding the program would have to be subject to debate between the AFA and the board. The severity of cuts SRJC would have to deal with will ultimately affect the fate of the program.

“Everything’s on hold until we decide what happens with the budget,” Ruud said. “Right now we don’t know how bad this is going to be.”

However, most faculty members understand how the current budget crisis will affect SRJC and have already agreed to postpone their sabbaticals in an attempt to reduce cuts to future classes and programs.

Peg Saragina, a faculty member in the Business Administration Department, told the Board of Trustees what she plans to do if sabbaticals are returned to teachers for future semesters.

“Given our current fiscal situation, I would be willing to delay my sabbatical if it will reduce the percentage of cuts we will make to the 2011-2012 schedule and allow us to keep more of our valuable adjunct faculty working,” she said.

But teachers who have taken sabbatical leaves said that the program is indespensible. Susan Houlihan of Communication Studies took a sabbatical in Spring 2009, and stressed the benefits of the program.

“My course absolutely improved.” she said. “The assignments have improved, student interest has increased and student learning has increased. Since I’ve returned I’ve also presented two PDA workshops for my colleagues to share what I’ve learned, so the sabbatical program benefits more than just the teacher.”

Although the current financial situation is the worst to date, faculty members feel that the school must retain its robust curriculum and continue to comprise excellent teachers in every field of study. The school administration, for their part, will keep their word despite the tough circumstances.

SRJC Vice President of Academic Affairs Mary Kay Rudolph said: “Collective bargaining requires parties to trust each other. We made an agreement in good faith, and we honor our agreement.”