Substitute Guidelines

In light of the compressed calendar, faculty absences can have a significant impact on student learning. As such, substitute assignments may be made at any time for a faculty member who is absent due to illness or approved leave (for example, attending a conference or participating in a college or district event). All substitute assignments are to be approved in advance by the dean with the following considerations:

• The substitute has the appropriate academic background for the position
• All hiring requirements are completed and submitted to Human Resources prior to working (fingerprinting, TB test, and so on)
• Faculty involvement in the selection / recommendation is preferred
• Timesheets and TCS’ are submitted in a timely manner along with the absence reporting for the faculty member

No, substitute work is not added to FTE with respect to gaining or enhancing preference

In accordance with section 87482.5(b) of the Education Code, short term / incidental substituting will not count toward the allowable maximum adjunct FTE status. Short term is to be defined as one week (consecutive class meetings of instruction) during fall/spring or one-day short term assignment (summer term).

For assignments that are full semester, any extensions beyond a one-week short term assignment (fall/spring semesters) or one-day short term assignment (summer term) may be requested by contacting, via the appropriate Vice President, or the Director of Human Resources at 568-3063.

For assignments that are for summer term or short-term classes (i.e., five or eight week classes), any extensions beyond two-day assignment (summer term) may be requested by contacting, via the appropriate Vice President, or the Director of Human Resources at 568-3063.

If the certificated substitute actually becomes the “instructor of record,” Human Resources suggests that the employee be paid as an adjunct instructor as opposed to a certificated substitute. The TCS should be retroactively issued so that the substitute earnings can be reversed and the employee can be paid based on the higher Schedule B hourly rate.

A long term substitute is a true substitute who is filling in for a full-time faculty member on sick leave. A long term substitute is exempt from the 67% rule. The Education Code states that an LTT must be employed for no less than a semester; however, an LTT may be hired for less than a semester when the illness will be less than a semester but still fairly long (i.e., 6 to 8 weeks). If an LTT is needed, please discuss with the appropriate VP and Director of HR.

The certificated substitute salary schedule (along with all salary schedules) can be found on our web page. Go to www.losrios.edu; click on “job openings” (a new window will open); then click on “salary schedules.”

The certificated salary schedule is updated July 1 of each year. The hourly rates are based upon the B-1, B-2 interim salary schedule that is in place on July 1. For example, the July 1, 2015 substitute rates will be increased based upon the 2014/2015 interim salary schedule. Lecture and lab rates for certificated substitutes are based on 75 percent of Class II, Step 1 on the B-1 salary schedule. The rationale is that the pay represents 1.5 hours of paid time for each classroom hour. Class II, Step 1 was selected because it is the placement with the highest number adjunct / overload FTE associated. Substitute rates for counselors, coordinators, nurses, and librarians are 100 percent of Class I, Step 1 on the B-2 salary schedule. Rationale is that there is no prep time nor outside time associated so it is an hour-for-hour assignment.

Certificated substitute assignments (short term or long term) are not subject to the retroactive salary improvements. This policy became effective July 2002.

Certificated substitutes are paid on the 10th of each month following the month in which he/she worked. The college instruction office must send a timesheet to the District Office Payroll Department on or before the deadline date in order for the substitute to be paid.

For instructional substitutes, use the chart below to convert the instructional minutes of substitute work to substitute hours on the timesheet.

To convert substitute hours for non-instructional faculty (coordinators / counselors / college nurses / librarians), take the total number of minutes worked and divide by 60. For example, if a counselor substituted for 165 minutes (2 hrs and 45 minutes), divide 165 by 60 and report 2.75 hours on the timesheet.

Permanent classified employees who also work as adjunct faculty are not allowed to work as substitutes due to the difficulty in tracking their various assignments, correct STRS reporting, and potential violation of the Education Code regarding overtime limits and 67% limits.

For additional information on certificated substitutes, see Education Code sections 44830 to 44929.