A Missouri school system has cut benefit costs by establishing a self-funded health insurance plan for employees. Reviews areas to consider and ways to set up such a plan. (MD)

Designed for faculty and exempt administrators at Washington's community colleges, this handbook explains available retirement plans, deductions, and options. First, a glossary of terms and an index to sections of the handbook dealing with the concepts are provided. The bulk of the handbook uses a question/answer format to present information on…

Proposes the use of teacher sabbaticals to improve the quality of teachers. Includes a list of recommendations for implementing a sabbatical policy. (MD)

Attitudes about teacher sabbaticals are sharply divided and, as funding grows scarcer, get more controversial. Teachers should plan sabbaticals that will improve their teaching, and school boards should be assured of good, long-term returns on their investments of sabbaticals. (MLF)

Regulations for sick leave and substitute teachers, adopted by the North Carolina State Board of Education, are presented in outline form. Sick leave regulations provide for sick leave eligibility, sick leave earned, leave charges, sick leave accumulation, advancement of sick leave, verification of sick leave, repayment of excessive leave,…

A disaggregated empirical study using the production function model with multiple regression statistical techniques found that comprehensive collective negotiating processes in Wisconsin's public school districts had no significant effect on the improvement of teachers' fringe benefits in 1979-80. (PGD)

Increases in costs to colleges and universities for employee health insurance have risen as much as 20 to 30 percent annually, requiring adjustments to control costs, a new philosophy of sharing costs with employees, increased proportions of payroll (now 6.1 percent) going for health care costs, and reductions in work force size. (DB)

This book discusses various pay and compensation initiatives in use nationwide, highlighting: (1) How Are Teachers Compensated?" (current status of teacher compensation and the changing context of teaching); (2) "What Have We Learned from Attempts at Change?" (three approaches to compensating teachers, recent short-lived reform…

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This May 21, 2004 issue of "Chronicle of Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "In New York, Unaccompanied" (Fogg, Piper); (2) "Why They Pirate: Study says Students aren't in it for the…

This digest summarizes issues raised in a research report on the academic rank of the emeritus professorship and retirement. Among the questions addressed are: What prompts an interest in the emeritus status? What trends presage its restructuring? What changes in the emeritus rank are likely? How might a new emeritus rank help solve problems of…

This report examines the rank of emeritus professor in higher education and considers such questions as: What trends presage its restructuring? What changes in the emeritus rank are likely? How might a new emeritus rank help solve problems of abolishing compulsory retirement age? and What should colleges and universities do? Recent studies about…

As colleges face budget reductions, they must consider the substantial hidden costs of unemployment benefits for terminated part-time faculty. Planning a sound program of benefits management that includes cost containment requires the cooperation of personnel director, chief financial officer, and chief academic officer. (MSE)

The responses from questionnaires (N=182) given to 201 individuals who were provided an opportunity to join the faculty of two research universities (one rural, one urban) were analyzed to determine the factors influencing their decisions to join or not join. Interviews with 60% of the respondents were conducted to gather further information.…

In this essay, the author calls attention to a little-studied but critical aspect of school system reform: the nontransparent and sometimes illogical ways school districts allocate funds and personnel, especially teachers. Drawing on a series of studies produced by his Center for Reinventing Public Education, the author asserts that mayors who…

This paper describes a method of projecting inflation-adjusted (real) retirement benefit replacement ratios for defined contribution retirement plans such as TIAA-CREF (Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association--College Retirement Equities Fund). The illustrated ratios are comparable to the ratios in defined benefit plans that result…