Section 6. SABBATICAL LEAVE:

A. Sabbatical leaves shall be granted to unit members, under provisions of the Education Code, for the purpose of carrying out an approved program which will enable the unit member to provide improved service to the District and its students. Consideration will be given to programs which involve an appropriate program of organized study, research, or travel.

B. Sabbatical leave application, processing, approval, and compensation for unit members shall be in accordance with the following provisions:

1. Unit members may apply for a sabbatical leave during their sixth consecutive year of full-time service, or during their sixth consecutive year of full-time service following a sabbatical leave, such that the unit member will have completed six (6) consecutive years of full-time service by the beginning of his or her sabbatical leave. After completing a sabbatical leave, a unit member is not again eligible to apply for such leave until he/she has served on a full-time basis for at least six (6) additional consecutive years. A leave for health, maternity, military service, or professional improvement, while not constituting a break in continuity of service, will not count as one of the six (6) years required for sabbatical eligibility.

2. Subject to the availability of funds, the District will allocate sabbatical leaves for up to a maximum of twelve (12) of the eligible unit members. Apportionment of sabbatical leaves between the District colleges shall be as follows: the number of leaves assigned to Fresno City College, Reedley College and Clovis Community College shall be based upon the ratio of full-time unit members at Fresno City College, Reedley College and Clovis Community College to the total of all faculty employed by the State Center Community College District.

3. If an insufficient number of candidates apply, or if an insufficient number of applications are recommended by the committee for sabbatical leave as having met the written criteria for sabbatical leave consideration, the application period will be extended for an additional three (3) weeks. All faculty shall be notified of the extension and reasons for such. If, after the extension an insufficient number still fails to meet the minimum written qualifications, the College/Campus President may recommend fewer leaves than that number allocated to the college.

4. Leaves granted will be distributed among the various divisions of a college so as not to impair the instructional program.

5. The unit member applying for a sabbatical leave will agree to serve the District for at least two (2) years immediately following completion of the leave. Prior to entering upon a sabbatical leave the unit member may choose one of two methods of compensation. Under Option I, the unit member must file a suitable bond indemnifying the District for any salary paid to the unit member during the period of sabbatical leave in the event said unit member fails to return and to render two (2) full years of service in the District following the completion of the sabbatical leave. Under Option II, the unit member may enter into a written agreement with the District to fulfill the obligations of the leave in lieu of filing a bond for this purpose, as set forth in Option I. Such an agreement form is available in the Office of Human Resources. The unit member is expected to complete his or her sabbatical leave as indicated in his or her approved sabbatical leave proposal.

6. Each unit member applying for sabbatical leave shall submit a formal standardized application to the appropriate committee for sabbatical leaves prior to November 1 of the academic year preceding the academic year of the proposed leave. The committee at each college shall consist of the Vice President of Instruction, acting as chairperson, all division Deans or those in comparable positions, and an equal number of faculty members appointed by the President of the Academic Senate.

a. The Vice President of Student Services will serve as an ex-officio member when considering applications from the counseling student services area.

b. The committee at each institution shall provide the College/Campus President with a recommended rank order of leave applications which shall be submitted to the Chancellor, along with the College/Campus President's recommendations, if any, for subsequent presentation to the Board of Trustees.

c. Applications submitted after the deadline date will be given consideration when accompanied by valid reasons. Valid reasons normally will be limited to government, professional, or academic programs which became available after the deadline date.

7. Within one (1) semester after return to duty, a unit member who has completed a sabbatical leave will submit to the committee for sabbatical leaves and for distribution among faculty, a written report covering the period of the sabbatical. When applicable, a transcript or other evidence of completion of the planned program will accompany this report. A copy of each sabbatical leave report, together with the committee's evaluation, shall be forwarded through the College/Campus President's office to the Chancellor not later than one (1) semester after return to duty.

If the committee's evaluation reflects that the sabbatical leave report is unacceptable and/or the terms and conditions of the sabbatical were not fully met, the unit member has one (1) additional semester to rectify the problem. If the evaluation remains "unacceptable" at the conclusion of the semester, the District has the right to reclaim, through automatic payroll deduction, from the unit member that percentage of the sabbatical stipend that in the committee's viewpoint reflects the unit member's degree of incompletion.

8. Compensation while on sabbatical leave will be computed in accordance with the salary schedule in effect during the period of leave and will be paid in equal monthly payments. A sabbatical leave will be counted as service and experience on the salary schedule.

9. Sabbatical leaves may be granted as follows:

a. One (1) semester at one hundred percent (100%) of full salary, or

b. One (1) full academic year at sixty-five percent (65%) of full salary, or

10. Unit members on a full-year sabbatical may work for outside employers (or themselves) and receive remuneration, so long as the combined income from the District's sixty-five percent (65%) salary payment and the outside remuneration does not exceed one-hundred percent (100%) of what the unit member would receive on the regular faculty salary schedule. A proof of income statement completed and notarized by a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is required to verify the unit member’s income. Any excess amounts shall adjust the District's sixty-five percent (65%) salary payment downward to maintain the one-hundred percent (100%) salary figure. Outside income that a unit member previously and regularly received during a school year is not affected by the provisions of this section, which apply only to additional employment that a unit member secures during the sabbatical year. Income that a unit member may receive from an employer as a part of his or her sabbatical leave also is not affected by the provisions of this section. Unit members, on a one (1) semester leave, upon approval may work for outside employers and receive remuneration if the income was previously and regularly received during the prior two (2) school years. Additional employment must receive prior approval from the Sabbatical Leave Committee.

11. The District shall maintain full health and welfare benefits for the unit member on leave to the same extent as if the unit member were working in his/her regular assignment. Sabbatical leave will not count as a break in service for retiree health benefits. District paid health and welfare benefits shall end if the unit member receives reasonably comparable health and welfare benefits (including dependent coverage) from any other employer.

12. Time on sabbatical leave will count towards retirement. Retirement contributions shall be made on the basis of the sabbatical leave compensation (one-hundred percent (100%) for one (1) semester sabbaticals and seventy-five (65%) for one (1) year sabbaticals) and provisions of the State Teacher’s Retirement System (STRS). The unit member on a one (1) year sabbatical may elect to contribute to the one-hundred percent (100%) level through STRS.

13. Unit members on sabbatical leave may not perform any work for the District during the sabbatical period. This includes, but is not limited to teaching, service on committees, including search committees, grant work, etc., but may teach during the summer session. Cases in which exceptions may be made shall be in the interest of the instructional needs of the District as determined by the College/Campus President. Paid sick leave is not earned during this period.

a. Acceptance of a request to work for the District while on sabbatical leave is voluntary.

b. Faculty who are asked by management to perform work for the District during sabbatical leave will receive additional compensation at the unit member’s applicable Schedule B hourly rate.

Sabbatical Application and Forms

• FCC - Sabbatical Leave Activity Credits Worksheet
• FCC - Sabbatical Leave Committee Involvement Rating Sheet
• FCC - Sabbatical Leave Application