Outrageous raises at MCC

Friday’s Northwest Herald revealed the previous night’s approval by McHenry County College trustees – unanimously – of an outrageous package of raises for “adjunct employees”.

There are part-time teachers. Oh, wait; “faculty”. No matter what you call them, are they really worth these average raises?

16% in the first year

8% in the second year

9% in the third year

12% in the fourth year.

Let’s say that a part-time teacher makes $10,000 this year.

Next year he’ll get 16% more ($1,600), earning $11,600.

If his 8% bump then is based on $11,600, his pay goes up $928 to 12,528.

The next year, if his 9% increase is based on $12,528, his pay goes up $1,127 to $13,655.

The fourth year, if his 12% bump is based on $13,655, his pay goes up $1,638 to $15,293.

From $10,000 this year to $15,293… that’s more than 50% in four years!

MCC President Vicky Smith seems to think that teachers here (err, “faculty” (does that word make them worth more?)) deserve to earn what teachers elsewhere earn and that other schools are raiding MCC’s roster by offering more bucks.

Well, let them go.

MCC does not need a Ph.D. to teach freshman students about music. MCC should hire a competent teacher who can follow a lesson plan (and perhaps mildly improve it) for what it can afford to pay. You don’t have to chase the market. I suspect the public has no idea just how many PhD’s there are on our local junior college roster.

This is McHenry County. You don’t need to hire a rocket scientist (and pay for one) to teach remedial English and math (or music). The employer (MCC) should set the pay for the job and then find the best-qualified person it can hire at that pay scale. And if an employee goes and gets an M.A. or a Ph.D. and wants more money, let them go elsewhere.

MCC is a business. But do the current trustees realize that? They have every responsibility to operate MCC in a business-like fashion, as if they owned it. I have my doubts that this is how they look at their jobs.

The VP of the Adjunct Faculty Union pronounced the package a “boon for everyone involved.” He got that right. The trustees gave away more money for professional development (which will result in higher demands for more money in the future) and more hours that can be worked (more pay for adjunct faculty).

Now get ready for the full-time faculty to make its demands well ahead of its contract that expires in the 2013-14 school year. Better hide your wallets, folks!