BBCC board talks salaries

MOSES LAKE - While the discussion is "in its infancy," administrators and trustees at Big Bend Community College are working on guidelines for the college's salary plan.

College president Terry Leas said the plan is to define and refine what already exists in college policy. The process should be open, transparent, avoid any appearance of favoritism and have a rational basis, Leas said.

In answer to a question from trustee Jon Lane, Leas said the administrators would look at the statewide community college system for part of the basis for comparison. Some schools of similar size, tech schools being an example, don't really work as comparisons, Leas said.

Bob Mohrbacher, vice-president in charge of staff, said administrators have added comparison with community colleges nationally to get a better idea on salaries. Trustee Mike Villareal asked about the salary target, whether BBCC should try to aim for the middle of that salary range or toward the top. Leas said he would prefer to be toward the top, because that would allow the college to recruit and retain talented teachers. "The question is, can we afford it?" he said.

The policy will be presented to the board at its March 6 meeting.

In other business at the last trustees meeting, director of finance Gail Hamburg said the proposal for capital project funds is due at the end of February. College officials will submit a proposal for a new professional-technical building as the first project, Hamburg said.

The committee working on the facilities plan is looking for input from students and faculty, Hamburg said. The committee has received good response from faculty and some students, but would like more input from students across campus, she said.

Mohrbacher reported fall enrollment was up over fall 2012, and winter enrollment is showing a positive trend. But while enrollment was up at BBCC it's been down at most state community colleges, he said.

Enrollment also is up in the Running Start program, which provides high school and college credit for high school students who take BBCC classes.

In addition, BBCC is offering a cooperative class in statistics analysis with Ephrata High School, Mohrbacher said. That's through the College in the High School program, which gives college credit for qualifying high school classes.

Villareal asked if the relationship between EHS and BBCC was helping with the efforts to increase college-high school collaboration. Mohrbacher said it had an impact, and he's talking to principals at other high schools in the college's service district. One of the keys to making it work is instructors with the certification to get kids the college credit, he said.

Mohrbacher said he thought the opportunities for collaboration with Moses Lake High School will increase with the MLHS shift to a seven-period day, scheduled for next year.

LeAnn Parton, director of the BBCC Foundation, said friends of the late Brent Blake will sponsor an art exhibition and quilt raffle to help fund a Brent Blake scholarship. Blake was a resident of Soap Lake and very active in art and theater in the Columbia Basin.