Bucks County college faculty to get raises

Faculty at Bucks County Community College will get 2.4 percent and 2.6 percent raises under a new four-year contract approved Thursday by the college's trustees.

The agreement, which runs through August 2021, was previously approved by the faculty union. It covers approximately 160 full-time and 500 part-time employees.

Under the previous agreement, the minimum starting salary for a professor was $62,278. Starting associate professors earned $55,548, assistant professors $52,283, and instructors $48,668.

Faculty members will receive a 2.4 percent raise in each of the first two years of the pact and 2.6 percent in each of the second two years, the college said in an announcement.

"The faculty would certainly like higher increases that reflect the amount of work they put in to both their first priority, teaching, and their second priority, their significant role in maintaining the quality of the college through serving on committees," professor John Strauss, union president, said in a statement provided by the college. "However, faculty appreciate the college's current financial situation, with the state's contribution down and the county's funding flat."

The college annually serves more than 8,000 credit-class students and more than 70,000 students in noncredit programs.