As Santa Fe College renewed faculty contracts at the onset of the 2013-2014 academic year, faculty and staff received another raise.
But unlike previous years when employees sometimes received flat-rate bonuses, the beginning of this academic year brought a 5 percent increase in wages for all of the college’s full-time employees.
Part-time staff, which includes all student workers, received a 3 percent raise.
In 2012, full-time employees received under half that amount, with a 2 percent increase on their base salary.
Every year, the college tries to give some sort of an increase to its employees, said Lela Frye, director of human resources at SFC.
“They are our most important resource,” Frye said.
Stacey Ledvina, a recruiter at the SFC admission office, said SFC President Jackson Sasser fights for faculty and staff perks every year when he gives his proposal for the budget.
“He always makes us feel appreciated, but this was just a little bit extra,” Ledvina said.
Santa Fe was able to afford these salary increases with no impact on tuition costs.
Frye said the college isn’t working with a bigger budget.
It’s simply using the money in different ways and places.
“Raises like this come from a reallocation of existing resources,” Frye said.
Olyvia Heinz, a 17-year-old SFC nursing student who works as a receptionist at the Santa Fe Watson Center, said she wasn’t aware of the raise, but she does welcome the extra cash.
“I think it’s helpful,” she said. “I pay for my own gasoline ... so a little bit of extra doesn’t hurt.”
A version of this story ran on page 4 on 9/4/2013 under the headline "Santa Fe College raises wages"
