Austin Community College District (ACC) employees will get a two-percent raise. In a unanimous decision, the Board of Trustees amended the college’s FY2021 budget to include the cost-of-living raise for staff and faculty during its regular board meeting Monday, September 14.
"This has been an unusual year filled with many unknowns, and our faculty, staff, and administration stepped up in big ways to help get us through. I want to make sure that's recognized," says Dr. Richard Rhodes, ACC chancellor.
The FY2021 budget was approved in July and deferred raises at the time as the college monitored the longer-term financial impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
“Things, right now, are looking better than they did in July,” explains Neil Vickers, ACC executive vice president of Finance & Administration. “We’re definitely more optimistic now than we were in June and July, but we’re still being conservative and cautious moving forward.”
"I really appreciate the fact that you've taken a deeper look into the budget and that we are able to give our employees a raise at a time when other colleges are laying off or suspending contracts," says Gigi Edwards Bryant, ACC chairman of the board. "ACC has been at the forefront of making sure that our students are comfortable still and that we can provide all the resources that we can to them. So I'd like to thank the entire college staff and employees for the work that you've put out. We greatly appreciate it."
The new compensation package retroactively begins September 1. Eligible faculty and staff will see this increase beginning in their September paycheck. New hire faculty and staff joining ACC for the first time in FY21 as well as hourly employees are not eligible for this increase.
The college will continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on revenue streams. Currently, property tax revenue is expected to generate almost 62 percent of the district's total revenue, tuition and fees represent about 19 percent, followed by state appropriations at 15 percent, and 4 percent from other sources of revenue. A hiring and travel freeze for ACC remains in effect.