State Board Of Community Colleges To Cap Paid Holidays

A new report finds many North Carolina community colleges are offering more paid holidays than other state and county employees receive. Based on the results of the study, schools will soon have to adhere to a policy of 12 paid holidays a year.

The Office of the State Auditor began researching the issue after receiving a hotline complaint in May 2016 that Central Carolina Community College was giving its staff 11 additional paid holidays. The extra holidays resulted in nearly $900,000 in payments to employees for days they did not work. But the audit also found that the practice was widespread. In all, thirty-one of the state's 58 community colleges offered their workers additional holidays during fiscal year 2017.

The schools do have a certain degree of autonomy in that each is managed by a local board of trustees. They are able to set a variety of local measures, but only in the absence of a specific policy laid out by the State Board. In this instance, the State Board decided to fill that void, says Community College System spokesman Brian Long.

“Most of the employees' salaries are paid with state funds,” says Long. “And as such, we feel like they should conform with certain expectations. It's not good public policy for them to go beyond that 12-holiday schedule.”

Paid holiday policies fluctuate considerably throughout the Piedmont, with Guilford Technical Community College offering 12 days, Surry Community College at 19, and Catawba Valley Community College offering 15.

Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem currently gives employees 16 days of paid holidays.

But according to President Gary Green, there's a real need for the extra four.

“The issue has really arisen from the need to make sure that we have a total employment package for our faculty and staff that is competitive,” says Green. “And that has not always been the case, particularly since our salaries are sometimes not very competitive.”

Green says Forsyth Tech will adopt the new standard once it is established. But he adds the timing of the move is unfortunate.

“We are being asked to play a very important role in economic development and workforce development in our communities to make sure that we have the skilled workforce that's needed to keep our industries competitive and attract new industries to our area,” says Green.

“So, community colleges are right at the center of those efforts," Green adds. "But at the same time, we find ourselves continually having reductions in funding in a number of areas that makes it difficult for us to be competitive with salaries, to be able to address the technology and equipment needs we have, and the other components that make up a strong skill education that allows people in our community to be prepared for the jobs of today and tomorrow.”

The State Board of Community Colleges will act on the audit report at its February meeting.