Compensation for Classified and Administrative Employees

1.0    Purpose

This policy establishes guidelines for compensating staff, administrative, and executive employees.

2.0    Revision History

3.0    Persons Affected

3.1    Casper College administrative, executive, and classified employees.

4.0    Policy

The policy of Casper College is to ensure the following.

4.1    The college has a uniform process to compensate administrative, executive, and classified employees that is externally competitive, internally equitable, and fiscally responsible.

4.2    The college is an equal opportunity institution and as such, does not discriminate based on race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, veteran status, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law in compensating employees.

5.0    Definitions

5.1    Administrative. This job classification includes non-faculty jobs responsible for providing leadership and professional expertise or services through leveraging the knowledge and skills of others in a school, department, office, or program.

5.2    Executive. This job classification includes the President and other positions responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction for areas the President deems executive.

5.3    Classified Staff. This job classification includes operational support jobs. These jobs are non-exempt positions under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

5.4    Regular Full-Time. Employees who hold these classified staff jobs are regularly scheduled to work 40 hours per week for a nonspecific period. 

5.5    Regular Part-Time (non-benefited). Employees who hold these classified staff jobs are regularly scheduled to work fewer than 20 hours per week or 80 hours per month for a nonspecific period.

5.6    Temporary/Seasonal. Employees who hold these jobs may be scheduled to work either full-time or part-time and for a period not to exceed six months. Temporary/seasonal employees must be completely separated and off payroll for 26 consecutive weeks before becoming eligible for re-employment in a temporary/seasonal job. Regularly scheduled holidays and summer do not count as breaks in employment.

5.7    On-call. Employees who hold these jobs are called to work on an as needed basis, often on short notice, for an intermittent, nonspecific period during peak operational times or events. These employees are not intended to relieve employees of their regular duties.

5.8    Advance Degree Notification. Employees use this form to notify the college that the employee is pursuing an advanced degree. This form lists the degree the employee is pursuing, the institution providing the program, anticipated graduation date, and signature lines for the employee, employee’s supervisor, and the Human Resources (HR) Director.

5.9    Administrative and Staff Pay Grade Structure. The college uses this structure to show a job’s pay grade and corresponding salary range. Each pay grade has a designated salary range that includes a minimum, midpoint, and maximum salary amount. Job placements into the pay grades are determined by evaluating the position’s job responsibilities, scope of work, workplace hazards, education requirements, and other market-driven factors. Pay grade minimum amounts are anchored at the entry-level qualifications for the job; pay grade midpoints are established by using market survey salary data. The pay grade structure is used for administrative, executive, and classified staff positions. 

6.0    Responsibilities

6.1    The HR Director is responsible for maintaining compliance with this policy.

6.2    The Board of Trustees (BOT) is responsible for approving salary adjustments based on available funding.

7.0    Procedures

7.1    Classification of New Jobs

7.1.1 HR determines the pay grade level for a job based on job attributes and current market data. 

7.2    Initial Salary for New Employees

7.2.1    The HR Director places new employees within the pay grade range assigned to the job. Salary placement within the respective pay grade reflects the employee’s experience beyond the minimum experience required of the position and any preferred qualifications beyond the minimum requirements. Initial salary placements will be capped at 10 years of experience, not to exceed the pay grade midpoint. 

7.3    Salary Increases: Administrative, executive, and classified staff employees may receive a salary adjustment by a BOT-approved increase, a position reclassification, or a change in position. 

7.3.1    BOT Approved Increase

7.2.1.1    The President may recommend the BOT approve a percentage increase for eligible administrative, executive and classified employees. 

7.2.1.2    The BOT may approve salary increases given available funding.

7.2.1.3    In the event an employee has already met or exceeded the maximum amount for their position’s pay grade, the increase will be granted as a one-time payment of the equivalent percentage. 

7.3.2    Reclassification

7.3.2.1    Supervisors may request that the HR Director review an employee’s position for reclassification. Positions may be eligible for a reclassification if there have been significant changes to the position’s responsibilities or scope of work.  Supervisors must submit review requests to the HR Director no later than March 1 to be considered for any changes in the next fiscal year.

7.3.2.2    The HR Director, in consultation with the employee’s supervisor and the President, may reclassify the job to a higher grade or a lower grade or keep the job at the same grade. Employees whose jobs are reclassified are placed on the Pay Grade Structure at the reclassified grade. Salary placement within the new pay grade range will be completed the same way as Initial Placement (7.2.1). The college implements the salary change at the beginning of the next fiscal year.

 7.3.3     Job Change

7.3.3.1    Classified staff and administrative employees who move from a lower-grade position to a higher-grade position are placed in the Administrative and Staff Pay Grade Structure by the HR Director at the grade assigned to the job at a salary within the range that reflects the employee’s experience, education, and comparable internal salaries.  The college implements the salary and position change when the employee starts the new position.

7.3.3.2    Classified staff and administrative employees who move from a higher-grade job to a lower-grade job are placed in the Administrative and Staff Pay Grade Structure by the HR Director at the grade assigned to the position at a salary within the range that reflects the employee’s experience, education, and comparable internal salaries. The college implements the salary and position change when the employee starts the new position.

7.3.3.3    Classified staff and administrative employees who move to a new job that is at the same grade as the employee’s current position, the HR Director will review the employee’s experience, education, and comparable internal salaries to determine whether a change in salary will occur.   

7.4    Stipends for Earning an Advanced Degree: administrative, executive, and classified staff employees may receive a BOT approved, one-time stipend for earning an advanced degree.

7.4.1    Administrative or classified staff employees who plan to earn an advanced degree must complete the Advanced Degree Notification form no later than March 1 of the first year they plan to request tuition assistance. Employees who submit an Advanced Degree Notification form after March 1 are not eligible to receive tuition assistance until the following year. HR files the form in the employee’s employment record.

7.4.2    Administrative or classified staff employees who earn an advanced degree that meets the following criteria are eligible for a recommended one-time stipend:

• The employee earns a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctorate degree from an institution of higher education accredited by a U.S. Department of Education’s nationally recognized accrediting agency.
• The degree is at least one degree level higher than any academic degree the employee has earned prior to or after being employed by the college.
• The employee begins working at the college prior to earning the degree.

Stipends for earning advanced degrees are as follows.

Degrees           Stipend

• Bachelor’s         $ 500
• Master’s            $1,500      
• Doctorate          $2,500

7.4.3    Employees must provide HR with official transcripts by June 15 of the year they graduate to be eligible for a one-time stipend to be paid one year after the graduation date. Failure to meet this deadline will result in a delay of an additional year. Employees who no longer work at the college at the time payment of the stipend is due forfeit the stipend.

7.4.4    The President may recommend the BOT approve a one-time stipend for eligible employees.

7.4.5    The BOT may approve stipends given available funding.