Faculty Employment Overview

Employment Status
Faculty, employed in a tenure-track position, have tenure-track employment status unless and until they earn tenured employment status. Regular faculty employed in a non-tenure-track position have term contract employment status.  Term contracts shall have a maximum contract term of up to but no more than four years. The terms and conditions governing each appointment shall be stated in writing on an official KCTCS appointment record (contract).

Pay Cycle/Annual increases
Payday is normally the 15th and 30th day of the month. Employees are paid on an arrears basis.  (Example: Time worked the 1st through the 15th are paid on the 30th of that month; time worked the 16th through the end of the month are paid on the 15th of the next month.) Routinely regular full-time employees actively must be employed on or before March 31 of each fiscal year will be eligible to receive any recurring across-the-board annual salary increase as awarded by the KCTCS Board of Regents.

Direct Deposit
KCTCS requires all newly hired employees to have payroll funds directly deposited into checking and/or savings account(s) the employee designates.  A number of financial institutions are available for direct deposit and there is no cost associated with the use of direct deposit.  The local Payroll Office can provide you with a list of participating financial institutions.

Holiday Leave
KCTCS currently recognizes 11 ½ holidays per year.  Employees are eligible for holiday pay from the date of employment.

Institutional Closing
Determined annually, the closing traditionally falls between the Christmas and the New Year holidays.   Employees are eligible for institutional closing pay from the date of employment.

Faculty Vacation Leave
Regular Faculty are granted 22 days of vacation leave annually. Should a faculty member leave the service of KCTCS before the end of their contract, they will be granted a pro-rata vacation accumulation provided they leave in good standing.  Except for emergencies faculty may not take vacation while their classes are in session.  Faculty vacation will not be carried year to year without prior written authorization by the appropriate college chief executive or administrative officer.

Faculty Temporary Disability (Sick) Leave
Faculty may be absent up to five (5) continuous working days with pay because of personal illness or injury. KCTCS requires appropriate notification so that class schedules and other professional duties can be covered. Sick leave with pay may also be used for the purpose of tending to a serious illness suffered by an immediate family member, in the event the illness requires the employee’s personal time and attention, for up to five (5) faculty sick days with pay within a six (6) month period. KCTCS may, at its sole and absolute discretion, require a doctor’s certificate verifying the necessity for absence(s). Faculty may not use sick leave with pay until after three (3) months of employment.
Faculty who are totally disabled for longer than 5 working days may apply for up to 30 calendar days of sick leave with pay. Applications must be approved and granted by the college chief executive/administrative officer. They may be renewed every 30 calendar days for a maximum of 6 months. Medical documentation is required.

Family / Medical Leaves of Absence
Eligible employees, who have been employed for a minimum of 1 year and have worked at least 1250 hours in the previous 12 month period, may be entitled to job-protected family/medical leaves of absence for qualifying events as described under the act. 

Health Insurance
Various plan choices available in five levels of coverage.  Monthly employer premium contributions vary by level of coverage.  Coverage begins the first day of the second calendar month following employment.  (Example: For employees hired anytime in January, coverage begins March 1st.) 

Dental Insurance
Various plan choices available for purchase at competitive monthly rates.  Employee pays 100% of the monthly premium. 

$50 Benefit Allowance
Eligible employees electing single health coverage or waiving health coverage will receive a monthly $50 benefit allowance.  This allowance can be used in any combination to pay for benefit premiums, or placed in a medical flex spending account.

Flexible Spending Account
This reimbursement program allows employees to pay for qualified medical expenses and/or qualified childcare/dependent care expenses with tax-free earnings.  Eligible employees who waive their health insurance can choose to have a portion of the employer contribution placed into their health care reimbursement account.

Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
Life and Accidental Death/Dismemberment Insurance in the amount of $20,000 is provided at no cost.  Employees have the option to purchase additional coverage for themselves and/or coverage for their spouse and/or dependent children. 

Retirement Plans
Participation in a KCTCS retirement plan is a condition of employment.  Individuals must enroll within the first 30 days of employment and are required to contribute a percentage of their salary each pay period.  Individuals enroll in either a
Defined Contribution Plan 403(b) or a Defined Benefit Plan.  

• In the Defined Contribution Plan employees contribute 5%, the employer match is 10% and vesting is immediate. Current providers are TIAA-CREF, American Century, ING, and Fidelity; or 
• In the Defined Benefit Plan enrollment is either in the Kentucky Employee Retirement System (KERS) with  a 5% employee contribution and a 5.89% employer match; or Kentucky Teachers Retirement System ( KTRS) with a 6.16% employee contribution and a 13.84% employer match. Vesting is after 5 years of service and contribution rates are set under state statue.  Eligibility for KERS or KTRS is totally dependent on the position the employee accepts, with the majority of faculty positions being eligible for KTRS. 

 
Supplemental Retirement Accounts
Supplemental retirement contribution choices are also available.

Long Term Disability Insurance
Long-term disability (LTD) is provided in conjunction with the retirement plan chosen.  Eligibility is dependent upon the retirement plan type chosen. With the defined contribution retirement plan, employees are eligible after one year of service.  With the defined benefit plan, after vesting requirements are met (currently after 5 years of service). 

Supplemental Long Term Disability Insurance
A supplemental income protection insurance to complement the employer provided LTD benefit is available.  Employees may be eligible to purchase insurance for up to 100% of their pre-disability earnings for catastrophic illnesses.  The level of income protection available is dependent upon the retirement plan selected.

Supplemental Vendors
A variety of supplemental benefits are available, such as cancer, long-term care, life, heart attack, and more.

Tuition Waiver
Tuition waivers for eligible employees are available for up to 18 credit hours per year (six hours in the fall, spring, and summer) at any KY postsecondary public institution.  Tuition waivers are also available to your spouse and dependent children (age 23 or less, as defined by federal financial aid guidelines) for six credit hours per semester (fall, spring and summer) at any KCTCS institution. 

Employee Assistance Program
Provides confidential and professional consultation or counseling to 24 hrs/day, 365 days/year to eligible employees and their dependents, at no cost to the employee.

Employee Discount Program
Discounts and incentives offered to KCTCS employees are available by a variety of vendors.  These include florists, athletic clubs, cellular phone providers, restaurants, hotels, etc.  Discounted tickets to a variety of parks and zoos are also available for purchase.

Wellness Program

A comprehensive health promotion program focusing on all aspects of health, including physical fitness, nutrition, disease prevention and care is available.   

Additional Information
KCTCS policies and procedures can be found by visiting http://www.kctcs.edu/employee/policies/index.htm.