Section VI - Employment Matters

VI E 3

Leave - Educational Leave

To define and outline the terms of educational leave

The term "educational leave" as defined in this regulation refers to release from duties or time normally required of a full-time employee in carrying out his/her full load of responsibilities assigned.

State funds may be used to pay employee salaries while they are on educational leave if the following criteria are met:

  1. The employee is employed full-time on a 9, 10, 11, or 12 month basis.
  2. The employee has been employed with Randolph Community College for at least 8 semesters. (This requirement may be waived by the President of the College if deemed for the benefit of the College.) The summer semester is not counted.
  3. Educational leave with pay is not granted to any employee more often than every third year. If educational leave with pay is approved and taken during the summer, the employee will be paid 80% of their salary. If educational leave with pay is approved and taken during the fall or spring, the employee will be paid 60% of their salary. Under exceptional circumstances this provision may be waived for faculty required to meet SACSCOC criteria or other critical needs.
  4. Educational leave will not exceed a period of 60 work days per calendar year. This policy was designed for employees to take educational leave during the summer. The granting of such educational leave with pay for any semester other than the summer will be justified on the basis that the institution can spare the services of the employee at the time requested.
  5. The studies engaged in during such educational leave are directly related to improving the competence of the employee in his/her assigned duties.
  6. Educational leave is contingent upon availability of other personnel to cover the employee’s duties.
  7. The employee must agree to complete at least one year of service to Randolph Community College following the end of the educational leave of absence (a year of service is defined as the number of months which the employee is typically employed during a 12 month period).
  8. An employee who fails to honor the agreement stipulated in Item 7 of this rule shall be required to repay the amount (salary and matching funds) expended for the educational leave. If the employee fulfills a portion of the agreement before failing to honor the agreement, repayment (salary and matching funds) shall be based on a pro rata portion
  9. All requests for educational leave will be made to the appropriate Vice President on form F X a (found in the forms section of the Personnel Handbook & Policy Manual) 90 days prior to the start of the educational leave and submitted to the Human Resources Office. The President’s direct reports requests will be approved by the President. The Vice President will make the recommendation to the President who has final authority to grant or deny the request.
  10. All approved requests will be documented with the signing of the Educational Leave Contract (form F VI d).
Under any conditions other than the above, educational leave as defined above that is granted to an employee must be without pay from state funds.

Two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester for which leave is granted, the employee requesting leave must submit the final program of study, including institution(s) to be attended, descriptions of prospective courses (or other educational activity), and a statement showing how these courses relate directly to the employee’s job responsibilities.

Within six weeks of the conclusion of the granted leave, the employee will submit to his/her supervisor a summary and evaluation of the leave experience along with an official transcript of any academic credits earned.

 

Adopted: 04/15/1999

Revised: 04/18/2002, 07/17/2008