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Appendix
Broadbanding
BACKGROUND
In order to be fair as possible to all employees and consistent in compensation and structure, a study was initiated in 1992 relative to the determination of salary for employees not on a salary schedule. At that time faculty, interpreters, and classified employees’ salaries were determined by salary schedules. But there were about 50 employees whose salaries were not determined by a salary schedule. Instead, those salaries were negotiated. A preliminary salary schedule was presented to those employees affected in 1993. Those employees had immediate concerns about the schedule. As a result, the issue was assigned to a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Process Team.
The Process Team was made up of employees from the affected group as well as a faculty representative and a classified representative. This team began to study salary schedules and discovered a process called Broadbanding. The team invited a personnel consultant from another community college to Howard College to explain the process. Then the team began to develop the criteria to be used to broadband the positions. The team presented the broadbanding criteria to the Administrative Cabinet in 1995. The cabinet reviewed the criteria and made suggestions to the team. The criteria was then used in 1996 to assign points to each position. Employees currently in the positions were given a chance to review the points and suggest changes. The overriding approach was, “If we were posting the position today, what qualifications, responsibilities, etc., are necessary? Leave the personal aspect of those in the position out of the process.”
During the same time period, another CQI request was received to review the classified salary schedule. The request to review the classified salary schedule arose because starting grade levels and promotion to higher grade levels were negotiated rather than based on particular criteria. In addition, the classified staff could not bring in experience. The faculty salary schedule was clear cut. Experience was teaching experience or related occupational experience. Related occupational experience was actual professional experience in the teaching field, i.e. working as a newspaper reporter and then joining the faculty to teach journalism or working as an automobile mechanic and then joining the faculty to teach automotive technology. A new faculty could bring in as much as 10 years’ experience. Levels were determined by degrees and hours above degrees. Another difference between the two schedules was the number of years that employees could step with experience and/or service. The classified schedule allowed steps each year for 26 years. The faculty salary schedule was a “graduated” schedule with the cap on the bachelor’s level at 12 years up to the cap on the doctoral level at 26 years.
At this point staff began to try to develop bands and subsequently salary schedules based on the points assigned to each of the unscheduled positions. A survey was sent to the six schools comparable to Howard College (Bee County, Hill, Navarro, North Central, Southwest Texas, and Wharton) asking for salaries of like positions. In addition, salaries from the College and University Personnel Association Administrative Compensation Annual Survey were used for comparable positions in comparable-sized institutions. During the process it was discovered that to just use the group of unscheduled employees was making it very difficult to develop the bands. It was realized that the classified employees needed to be a part of the banding for the process to work. So, the broadbanding criteria was studied by a group of classified employees to determine any necessary modifications and to address concerns raised in the CQI request. Then, the cabinet used the criteria to assign points to each of the classified positions. The points were shared with the employees currently in those positions and modifications were made.
The staff then began again to try to develop the schedules. The final schedules were developed with the following criteria:
§ employees who are not exempt from overtime laws were placed on the “non-exempt” schedule.
§ All employees who are exempt from overtime laws were placed on the “exempt” schedule.
§ All Interpreters were placed on the interpreter schedule.
§ Administrative officers, including the president, were placed on the “administration” schedule.
§ Faculty remained on their schedule; however, a degree-level field for associate degree was added and years of experience was increased to 40 years for all degree levels to address previous concerns with that schedule.
The schedule for non-exempt employees was developed based on the following criteria:
§ The bands begin at 200 and split in increments of 50 points (i.e., 200-250, 251-300, etc.) up to 650.
§ The lowest salary on the schedule is $11,712 which is minimum wage plus $1,000.
§ The step down for each year of experience/service is $289.28. This step was determined by taking 2.47 percent of the lowest salary in the schedule. (2.47 percent [@ $511] of the lowest salary was the step on the faculty salary schedule)
§ The step across from band to band is $438 for the first three bands and $877 for the next three bands. (The $877 increment is the step across in the faculty salary schedule which relates to educational achievement.) The increase from $438 to $877 reflects increased educational requirements and/or responsibility.
The schedule for exempt employees was developed based on the following criteria:
§ The bands begin at 500 and split in increments of 50 points up to 1050.
- The lowest salary on the schedule is $4,000 above the lowest salary on the non- exempt schedule and is approximately the same as someone in this band on the non-exempt schedule.
- The step down for each year of experience/service is $388.08. This step is 2.47 percent of the lowest salary on the schedule.
- The step across from band to band is $1754 in the first three bands, $2631 in the next seven bands, and $3508 in the last band (all multiples of $877). The increases between bands reflect increased educational requirements and/or responsibility.
The schedule for administrative officers was developed based on the following criteria:
§ The bands begin at 1051 and split in increments of 50 points up to 1450.
§ The lowest salary on the schedule is $44,740 which is a step above the last salary on the exempt schedule plus $877 ($3508).
§ The step down is $600. This step is 1.34 percent of the lowest salary on the schedule. This step was set by the President because it was felt that a 2.47 percent step was too much ($1105.08).
§ The step across from band to band is $4385 (also a multiple of $877). The steps across reflect increased educational requirements and/or responsibility.
After the schedules had been developed and all positions banded, the administrative cabinet then had to determine experience that could be “brought in.” All exempt and non-exempt employees were asked to complete a form listing all their experience prior to coming to work at Howard College. The maximum number of years of prior experience that could be brought in was 10 years.
The years of experience were determined based on the following criteria:
§ 1 year for 1 year - experience in the same position at a different institution/company.
§ .75 year for 1 year - experience in a community college.
§ .50 year for 1 year - related experience (using the same basic skills).
§ .25 year for 1 year - unrelated experience.
§ .10 year for 1 year - part-time experience (beginning Fall 1998)
Again, all employees were given the opportunity to review the years of prior experience assigned. Modifications were made where warranted.
Each position has certain educational requirements. If a position was broadbanded to require a certain level of education and the person currently in the position did not have the required educational level, the points assigned to the person reflected his/her current educational level. For example, if the position requires a bachelor’s degree (150 points) and the person in the position has an associate degree (100 points), the person was banded using the 100 points for educational level. If the person in the position later earns a bachelor’s degree, the points would be adjusted, and the person would be placed accordingly on the salary schedule.
All positions have a required educational level. Some positions also have a preferred educational level. The person filling the position receives the points for the level of education earned up to the preferred level. Additional education will be recognized.
For persons who do not have a high school diploma or GED, the educational level determined by skills “equal to that of the average high school graduate” will be met by scoring at the ninth-grade level on the CASAS (Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System) test or TABE (Tests of Adult Basic Education). These tests are administered at no charge in the Adult Education and Literacy Departments.
The salary schedules and the broadbanding process were implemented with the beginning of the 1997-1998 academic term/fiscal year.
Since the implementation of broadbanding, the salary schedules have been adjusted according to college needs. Additionally, a salary schedule was added for the CEO (see current schedules in Appendix).
PLACEMENT ON SALARY SCHEDULE
When a position is vacated or a new position is being created, the job description will be reviewed by the supervisor and points assigned will be reviewed by the President. If changes in a current position are wanted, the supervisor will submit a request to their cabinet member to review the position’s description and, if approved, the cabinet member will submit to the President who will review points. If no changes are wanted, the job may be posted. All new positions must be submitted to the President for banding.
When a supervisor has a candidate for the position, a complete listing of work experience will be reviewed by the Chief Human Resources Officer to determine placement on the salary schedule. If the supervisor does not agree with the Chief Human Resources Officer on the placement, the Executive Vice President will review the placement. Employees who change positions that are on different schedules (faculty to staff or staff to faculty) internally may have their years of experience reevaluated based upon the requirements of the new position, up to the allowable maximum.
Beginning September 2021, the maximum number of years allowed for a new employee to bring in is 20 and is determined as follows. Existing employees who brought in the prior 10 year maximum will be re-evaluated based on the application and/or resume in their file using the criteria in place at the time of hire. Any change will be effective with the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
Faculty:
· 1 year for 1 year - full-time experience for teaching experience or related occupational experience
· .75 year for 1 year - teach 3 classes for full year
· .50 year for 1 year - teach 2 classes for full year or part-time related occupational experience
· .25 year for 1 year - teach 1 class for full year
Non-exempt, Interpreter, Exempt, Executive Cabinet, CEO:
Prior Full-Time Experience:
· 1 year for 1 year – experience in the same position at a different institution/company.
· .75 year for 1 year – experience in a community college.
· .50 year for 1 year – related experience (using the same basic skills).
· .25 year for 1 year – unrelated experience.
Prior Part-Time Experience for Non-Faculty Positions:
· .50 for 1 year – experience at Howard College in the same position/office.
· .25 for 1 year – experience at Howard College in unrelated area.
· .10 year for 1 year – part-time experience outside of Howard College
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