Panel leaves CCSN professors dangling on salaries

Wednesday, May 18, 2005 | 9:47 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday left unanswered whether it would boost the salaries of professors at the Community College of Southern Nevada to bring them in line with the other three community colleges in the state.

The average salary for a full-time professor at CCSN is $54,314, compared to $58,425 for the Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno; $61,191 at Western Nevada Community College and $58,161 at Great Basin College.

The Assembly Ways and Means Committee decided Friday to spend an additional $9.2 million to bring the salaries up by about $4,000 during the next two years at CCSN to the state's weighted medium salary. The Senate committee heard about the action of the Assembly but declined to act to match the equalization move.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said the problem was created at CCSN when it hired professors at a lower pay scale to take care of an unexpected increase in the number of students.

There was a similar problem years ago at UNLV and the Legislature decided to equalize the salaries gradually over a six-year period, not in two years as the Assembly wants.

The Senate committee agreed with the Assembly on giving a 10 percent pay increase to police officers in the University and Community College System of Nevada. That will add $736,319 to the budget.

Gov. Kenny Guinn's budget included 10 percent pay raises for other law enforcement officers but did not for the police in the university system.

Both committees agreed to give professional staff in the system a 2 percent cost of living increases in each of the coming two fiscal years. But the Senate committee added $3 million extra to make sure there was enough money to cover the pay raises.

Both committees also agreed on setting up a 2.5 percent merit pool for professors and instructors, but those above the assistant dean level would be excluded from earning this merit pay. The Assembly committee, however, excluded professors at the top range of their salary level from qualifying for the merit pool. The Senate said they should be eligible.

The two committees are divided in financing the fourth year of the dental school at UNLV. The Senate followed Guinn's recommendation for an additional $1.8 million each year in state funds to support 26 new positions. The Assembly shaved $1 million per year off the suggested appropriation.

There was agreement on providing an annual $1.7 million to the athletic program at UNLV to cover registration and tuition costs for those taking part in the program. There will be $1.27 million a year for UNR. And there will be athletic fee waivers for $223,134 at CCSN.

Because of lower than expected enrollments, both committee cut $23 million from the system's budget. The Senate committee wants to spend that savings on other programs in the system, including another $4 million for nursing programs, $4.3 million to the medical school and $2.2 million for technology.