Update on the 2020-21 Administrative Exempt Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA)

Dear Colleague, 

The Executive Team (ET) made the decision last summer to pause the 2020-21 Cost of Living Allocation (COLA) for Administrative Exempt staff, in the interest of modeling creative approaches to our campus-wide budget reduction process (saving the College approximately $240,000). Administrative Exempt staff became the only group that took a categorical reduction in pay last year, and the College had to make additional budget reductions using other methods. 

Since then, the College has stayed on track to close its budget shortfall and has also received more federal CRRSAA aid dollars than expected. It is with this context that I am announcing the unpausing of this year’s COLA for Administrative Exempt staff, effective March 1, 2021. (Please note, I, as President, am foregoing this COLA and will not receive any adjustment to my pay as an administrator this year or going forward.) 

This means Administrative Exempt staff will receive their 3% increase in pay March 1, 2021 forward, noting there is no option to make it retroactive to July 1, 2020. Acknowledging two-thirds of the fiscal year has already passed, the administrative staff members will receive the increase for only the last four months of this fiscal year but will retain it across the full fiscal years moving forward.  

This unpausing of the Administrative Exempt COLA restores these staff members to the COLA provided to Classified Staff and Faculty, meaning all employee groups are now at a level playing field for receiving future COLA increases. I wish to thank the Administrative Exempt staff for their adaptability and willingness to make this sacrifice this year for the good of the College. 

Respectfully, 

Cheryl Roberts, Ed.D. 

President