Chancellor receives 7 percent increase to align with peers

Chancellor Bruce Leslie received a 7 percent salary increase Aug. 21, bringing his base salary to $343,475, which officials said is to align him with chancellors from peer community colleges in the state.

Other administrators and staff received a 2 percent increase, and faculty increases ranged from 1.65 percent to 14.55 percent, according to human resources.

Leslie’s total compensation for fiscal year 2013 is $373,000, which includes a $12,000 car allowance, $720 cell phone allowance, $1,805 for life insurance and a $15,000 retention bonus. For fiscal year 2012, his total compensation was $349,462, an increase of $23,538.

Leo Zuñiga, associate vice chancellor of communications, said Leslie received a 2 percent increase for 2012-13, in line with all full-time staff and administrators, plus $17,139 to his base salary of $319,937.

Trustees approved the 2 percent salary increase for full-time staff and administration across the district at the July 24 regular board meeting.

The 2 percent increase added $6,399 to Leslie’s salary and the additional $17,139 was to bring Leslie’s salary to parity with his peers in the state, Zuñiga said.

The Alamo Colleges board of trustees discussed Leslie’s contract in executive session at the Aug. 21 regular board meeting.

The board approved the authorization for board Chair James Rindfuss to negotiate a rollover contract with Leslie that started Sept. 1 and will end Aug. 31, 2015.

Rindfuss said a study was conducted with the chancellor to align him with other peer community colleges in the state similar to the faculty evaluation study conducted to approve a new salary plan for full-time faculty.

“Rather than give him a 2 percent increase, we did an analysis, a study, of what the chancellors from the largest community colleges in the state were getting and we found out we were far too low to keep him in alignment,” he said. “It had nothing to do with 2 percent, plus this, plus that. It had to do with 2 percent was not adequate. We decided what was adequate, and we voted on that by doing the analysis similar to what we’ve done with the faculty.”

According to Werling Associates’ fiscal year 2012 higher education administrative accountability report conducted in May, Leslie — with his average total compensation of $333,598 — ranked fifth of seven community college leaders in the state.

Although salaries of public officials are public information, base salaries and total compensations for FY 2013 could not be obtained from the six community colleges by deadline.

Lesa Spivey, director of public relations and media at Houston Community College, said although Spangler’s salary information is public information, she could not give the salary information over the phone. She directed a reporter to Google or human resources, which then directed a reporter to the chancellor’s office where executive secretary Linh Tran, said the information could be researched online or by filing an open records request.

Amanda Booren, director of communications and publications at San Jacinto College, said an open records request was required.

Jed Young, executive director of communications at Lone Star College, directed a reporter to the Texas Tribune’s government employee salary database.

Phone calls to public and media relations departments for Tarrant County College, Austin Community College and Dallas County Community College were not returned by deadline.

At the March 27 regular board meeting, trustees approved a new salary plan for full-time faculty.

Under the plan, the district implemented a 6 percent increase in average salaries, moved from a step system to salary ranges, paid full-time faculty at 130 percent of the adjunct rate during summer 2013 and increased full-time faculty duty days from 164 to 166.

Faculty salaries now range from $38,500 for a beginning salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree to a maximum of $95,604 for a faculty member with a doctorate.

Before, salary was based on placement of faculty at the time of hiring based on degree, credit hours and prior experience. Increases were based on board approval and fund availability; promotion to a higher salary classification was based on degree and credit hours; and promotion in rank was based on the current promotional system.

Diane Snyder, vice chancellor for finance and administration, said Tuesday on average, the highest percentage increase was 11.5 percent to a faculty member with a bachelor’s degree whose average salary was $40,569. The lowest percentage increase was 4.61 percent to a faculty member with a master’s plus 48 hours, whose average salary was $60,975.

However, Linda Boyer-Owens, associate to vice chancellor of human resources and organizational development, said five professors in the district with doctorates received a 1.65 percent salary increase. She said one instructor with a bachelor’s degree received a 14.55 percent increase.

Snyder said if an individual had a salary above average, they received a smaller percent increase to bring them equal to their peers. “This is literally taking all those hundreds of employees that over time have evolved to things that weren’t necessarily the same fair compensation based on their level of education and experience: It’s cleaning all that up, so this is a clean up move. So it’s not a generic, flat, let’s perpetuate the inequity by giving everybody the same percent.”

On July 24, trustees approved Werling Associates’ recommendation of a $254,815 annual salary increase for administrators including:
• $20,626 for four vice chancellors;
• $153,292 for 15 vice presidents;
• $13,014 for an associate vice chancellor;
• $18,860 for a director;
• and $49,023 for seven deans.

The minute order did not identify the administrators nor has the district.