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INA, Ill. (June 9, 2020)
As º£½ÇÊÓƵ faculty and staff adjusted to working from home earlier this spring, the college saw an opportunity for the continuation of remote work in certain circumstances. At Tuesday’s meeting, the º£½ÇÊÓƵ Board of Trustees approved a new policy granting full-time employees the possibility to work from home.

Employees will be able to make a request for remote work, which will then be subject to the new guidelines and approved or denied by appropriate leadership. Employees will be held to the same job standards as they were on-site, and the agreement can be terminated at any time. Employees would continue to receive the same benefits and coverage by the College’s workers’ compensation and liability insurance programs provided they are abiding by the agreement.

Teacher appreciation

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced RLC to cease in-person instruction in the middle of March, instructors at the college acted quickly to move to a virtual environment. Teachers had little time to prepare for online instruction but were able to maintain quality standards during a time of need. Those efforts have not gone unnoticed.

The board approved a one-time faculty performance award of $2,100 to all full-time faculty members for their work during the pandemic. The payments will be made in two installments. The first $1,000 will be issued on July 5 and the additional $1,100 will be paid Sept. 20.

Leadership teams

The board approved the creation of the President’s Executive Leadership Team, which will collaborate to lead º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s mission and values through strategic direction, innovation, policymaking and a futuristic vision. The board also approved policy and procedure updates for the President’s Cabinet and President’s Council.

Fund transfers

The board approved the transfer of $2,481,000 from the Education Fund to the Working Cash Fund. This transfer makes whole an earlier transfer the college made, which was required to be repaid within one year. The initial money transfer occurred when the college was waiting on state funding and needed more money in the Education Fund to meet operational expenses. That practice took place again at the meeting as the board also approved the transfer of $3,400,000 from the Working Cash Fund to the Education Fund in anticipation of possible delays in various state grant payments.

In other business, the board ...

• Approved FY21 salaries for administration, administrative support, academic support, office support, police department and physical plant personnel. 
• Approved changes for the hourly pay rates of part-time employees. Tutors and Educational Support Specialists will earn $10/hour (high school graduate), $15 /hour (associate), $18/hour (bachelor’s) and $20/hour (master’s). The part-time cook position pay was changed to reflect Illinois’ minimum wage.
• Approved the 2020-2021 handbooks for the RLCF Children’s Center, Studio RLC and the Nursing program.
• Approved starting the audit and tax return process with Kemper CPA Group, LLP for Fiscal Year 2021. Kemper CPA Group signed a three-year contract with RLC for audit services last year.
• Approved the 2020-2021 treasurer's bond for an amount no less than 25% of the total of all bonds, notes, mortgages, money and effects of which the treasurer is to have custody. This year, RLC needs a bond of no less than $25,635,413 to meet the legal requirement. 

Mark your calendar

• Studio RLC will host a Virtual Open House 5-7 p.m. Thursday, June 25 via Zoom.
• º£½ÇÊÓƵ still plans on holding its annual commencement ceremony when it will be safe for the public. A date is yet to be determined.

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