General Information
What
is a sabbatical leave?
A sabbatical leave of absence is granted
for travel, formal study or Independent Study.
Travel sabbatical -
the employee engages in planned education
travel for at least
50% of the leave period (60% for administrative
personnel). The minimum number of weeks of
required travel is determined by the employee’s
length of assignment. For 10-month employees,
10 weeks of travel is required each semester.
For 12-month employees, 12 weeks of travel
is required each semester. The standards
associated with a travel sabbatical are those
outlined in Personnel
Guide B353 - Salary Point Credit (link opens
new browser window)  . Included
in the standards is that travel cannot be
for
a
prolonged
period in any one area or consist of day
trips from a particular location. Sabbatical
travel must be undertaken and completed during
the leave period. Refer to Personnel
Guide B335 (link opens new browser window) for
additional information.
Formal Study
sabbatical – the
employee pursues a program of study which
will benefit
the students and colleges of the District
- Ed
Code 87767 (link opens new browser window).
Courses must be taken at a recognized institution
of higher
learning,
and be at the upper division or graduate
level or the extension division equivalent
of such course (except for computer application
courses). The courses must be completed with
a passing grade for which unit credit is
allowed. The minimum load requirement for
each semester of leave for faculty is five
(5) semester or eight (8) quarter units (the
requirement is higher for administrators).
Refer to Personnel
Guide B336 (link opens new browser window) for
additional information.
Independent Study
sabbatical – the
employee pursues a program of independent
study, research, and/or experience relating
to the present or prospective service that
promises professional values equivalent to
that derived from formal study at recognized
educational institutions. The applicant must
submit a detailed proposal that: 1) adequately
outlines the project so that the Committee
on Research Studies can evaluate the project,
2) meets the standards of quality professional
research, and 3) demonstrates that the applicant
expects to engage in a minimum of forty-eight
(48) hours of active research or endeavor
of each "unit" requested ("unit"
relates to formal study requirement of 5
semester
units per semester). Refer to Personnel
Guide B337 (link opens new browser window) for
additional information.
The different types of sabbatical leaves
may be combined as long as the total activities
meet minimum requirements.
How am I eligible?
The employee must have permanent status
in the District at the time the leave begins.
The applicant must have rendered certificated
service in the District for at least six
(6) consecutive two-semester periods (seven
two-semester periods for administrative personnel)
preceding the beginning of the leave. Only
service rendered subsequent to the return
from the most recent sabbatical leave, and
subsequent to the most recent break in service
as defined by District regulations, is counted.
All time served between the two periods of
a split sabbatical leave counts as service
for a subsequent sabbatical leave (but does
not count toward the service requirement
returning from leave for a second period
of a split sabbatical). During any two consecutive
semesters of the four semesters immediately
preceding the beginning of the leave, the
applicant must have served a minimum of the
number of hours considered to be the amount
for a year of service as defined by District
rules. Time on a grant leave, exchange leave
or military leave counts toward the required
service. Time on other leaves does not count.
What is the length of the leave?
Sabbatical leaves are granted for full semesters
only and may be requested for a maximum of
two full consecutive semesters for 10-month
employees or for six or 12 months for 12-month
employees.
If the two semesters or periods of leave
are not taken consecutively, they must be
requested separately. If taken separately,
the second semester or period of leave must
be completed within three years of the beginning
date of the first semester or period.
What is my compensation?
An employee on sabbatical leave receives
50% of his/her regular salary payable monthly
during the period of the leave if the employee
has executed a written indemnity agreement
in the form of a salary bond. Otherwise,
the employee will be paid in two equal installments
in the service period following the leave.
The first payment shall be paid at the end
of the semester during which the employee
has served one-half of the required post-sabbatical
service, and the second payment shall be
paid at the end of the semester during which
the employee completes the second one-half
of the required post-sabbatical service.
If the sabbatical leave is combined with
a load credit leave, the employee can receive
100% of his/her regular salary.
Am I entitled to the ESA check at the beginning
of the fall semester?
Employees on sabbatical leave do not receive
the ESA check.
Can I send in all the compliance cards at
the beginning of the semester?
The compliance card certifies that the employee
is fulfilling the conditions of the sabbatical
leave. If the employee has provided the necessary
bonding, a compliance card is required each
month in order for the employee to receive
sabbatical half-pay or sabbatical/load credit
full pay for that month.
Can I have other employment while on leave?
Employees may continue existing multiple
assignments or previously held outside employment
without restrictions. Employees may obtain
new employment either with the District or
with outside employers. New employment related
to the process of education may not exceed
20 hours of pay per week. New employment
with the District is prohibited during the
hours of the position from which the employee
is on sabbatical leave. The total of new
employment and sabbatical pay shall not exceed
the amount of regular pay.
How does this affect my retirement service?
A sabbatical leave counts towards partial
service for the State Teachers Retirement
System (STRS). Employees on sabbatical leave
may pay to STRS the difference in contributions
so that full service credit will be received
for the leave period. Telephone STRS at 1-800-228-5453
in order to obtain information and an application
form.
Employees on a sabbatical/load credit leave
who receive full pay will receive full service
credit for STRS.
How much service do I have to give after
I return from my sabbatical leave?
At the expiration
of a sabbatical leave, the employee shall
be reassigned, unless
he/she otherwise agrees, to the same college
to which he/she was assigned at the time
the leave was granted, provided that no conditions
develop during the leave or at the time of
return which would have changed the employee’s
location and type of work had he/she remained
in active service.
An employee returning
from a sabbatical leave must render a period
of service that
is equal to twice the period of the leave.
Service may be in any certificated status
or class. There is a form for the employee
to complete as part of the sabbatical packet
for the employee to agree in writing to render
this service in accordance with Ed
Code 87770 (link opens new browser window). Any period
of service between a split sabbatical shall
comprise
a part
of
the service
required
for a subsequent leave of absence and would
count toward service rendered for the first
period of the sabbatical leave, but does
not count toward the required service of
the second part of the split sabbatical which
has yet to be taken. Certain leaves may be
taken upon the return from a sabbatical leave;
however, this would extend the period of
time to complete the required service.
What do I do if I have to change my sabbatical
plans?
The Office of Personnel Operations must
approve any change of plan in advance of
the planned change of the leave. The formal
study leave and travel leave have forms that
the employee can complete. The employee should
submit an amended proposal for an independent
study leave.
There are certain
conditions under which a sabbatical leave
may be incomplete, cancelled
or converted to a resignation, return to
duty, or other type of leave. The effect
on sabbatical rights and compensation depend
on the circumstances. Refer to:
What do I do at the completion of my sabbatical
leave?
Upon completion of the sabbatical leave
requirements, or not later than two pay periods
following return to service, the appropriate
materials for the type of leave must be filed
with the Office of Personnel Operations.
The third salary warrant after return to
service will not be released until obligations
are met. While the collective bargaining
agreement instructs the employee to submit
the sabbatical report to the college president
or designee, a copy of the report must also
be submitted to the Office of Personnel Operations
in order to review that the terms of the
sabbatical leave have been met.
Employees requesting
point credit for a sabbatical leave must
submit all materials
prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
For more information on sabbatical point
credit or point credit in general, refer
to:
Who do I contact for information?
For information about
sabbatical policies and procedures, please
contact:
Carlos
Covarrubias
(213) 891-2355
Send e-mail
To find out the status
of your sabbatical leave or for help with
routine inquiries, please contact:
Laney
Ray
(213) 891-2251
Send e-mail
An additional
note: A
sabbatical leave differs from a Load Banking
Leave and the Pre-Retirement
Reduction in Workload Program (RWL); however,
these leaves may be combined with a sabbatical
leave. Please refer to Article
39 (link opens new browser window) of
the AFT Collective Bargaining Agreement
for
information about Load Banking and to Article
26 (link opens new browser window) for
information about the RWL. For questions
about these
two
leaves
individually
or
combined, please contact:
Carlos Covarrubias
(213) 891-2355
Send e-mail
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