419.01

419.01 Fringe Benefits

Group Health Plan Coverage and Life Insurance – Details of hospitalization/major medical and life insurance for all full-time faculty members may be found in the Faculty Contract. The College will make available group health plan coverage and life insurance coverage for all fulltime employees and their eligible dependents. Coverage is at the discretion of the Board. The Board will determine the cost paid by the College. The employee will pay the balance of the cost, through employee premiums deducted, pro-rata, from the employee’s pay unless otherwise authorized by the employee. In the event of termination of employment, any balance due will be deducted from the final pay of the employee.
Section 125 – Details of Section 125 for all full-time faculty members may be found in the Faculty Contract. The Board will establish a Section 125 plan in accordance with the requirements of Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code through salary reduction that allows full-time staff to elect to designate a portion of his or her salary for the payment of any allowable expenses not paid by the Board.
Tuition Free Enrollment – Details of tuition free enrollment for all faculty members may be found in the appropriate Faculty Contract. The College offers tuition free enrollment at Sauk Valley Community College for all full-time employees, spouses, and their children under 23 years of age. Permanent part-time professional-technical and support employees, spouses, and their children will be eligible for tuition waivers on a pro-rated basis (75% for staff working 20 hours or more per week, 50% for staff working 10 to 19 hours per week). If an employee dies while working for the College, the tuition waiver will remain in effect for his/her surviving dependents under 23 years of age. Activity fees, lab fees, and books are paid by the student. Courses contracted with a third-party vendor are excluded.
Non-credit Course Fees – All employees are eligible to enroll into non-credit professional development courses for free once the course meets the minimum course enrollment that is set by the Program Director. All employee spouses are eligible to enroll into non-credit professional development courses at half the cost once the course meets the minimum course enrollment that is set by the Program Director. Professional development courses contracted with a third-party vendor are excluded. All employees, spouses, and children 18 and under are eligible to enroll into non-credit personal enrichment courses at half the cost once the course meets the minimum course enrollment that is set by the Program Director. Personal enrichment experiences and trips contracted with a third party vendor are excluded.
Academic Robe Expenses –the College will pay regular expenses for academic robes and regalia required for any Sauk Valley function.
Tuition Reimbursement – Details of tuition reimbursement for all full-time faculty members may be found in the Faculty Contract. The Board will pay tuition and mandatory fees at the rate of not more than $175 per credit hour up to a maximum of $2,100 per year for those courses taken by full-time administrative, professional-technical, and support staff, providing the courses are related to his or her work at the College. All courses must be approved in advance by the President and reimbursement will be limited to 12 credit hours per fiscal year. Any exceptions are to be made by the President. Reimbursement will be made upon receipt of the transcript for courses earning a grade of “C” or higher for graduate or undergraduate credit.
Retirement program – SURS provides retirement, disability, death, and survivors benefits to all eligible participants. Generally, SURS covers all employees, including part-time employees who work for the College for at least one continuous academic term. Details concerning retirement allowances, disability benefits, reciprocity and refund allowances are contained in the SURS handbook issued to every member at the beginning of his/her employment.

Vacations – Details of annual vacation for the 12-month counselors and librarians may be found in the Faculty Contract. Administrators earn vacation at the rate of .923 days per pay bi-weekly period (24 days annually). Staff earn annual vacation at the following rates per bi-weekly pay period. Bi-weekly is defined as every other week and the rates are effective on the first day of a pay period.

STAFF
Year of employment	Rate
First and second years of employment	.538 days (14 days annually)
Third and fourth years of employment	.577 days (15 days annually)
Fifth and sixth years of employment	.654 days (17 days annually)
Seventh and eighth years of employment	.692 days (18 days annually)
Ninth and tenth years of employment	.731 days (19 days annually)
Eleventh and twelfth years of employment	.769 days (20 days annually)
Thirteenth and fourteenth years of employment	.808 days (21 days annually)
Fifteenth and all subsequent years of employment	.846 days (22 days annually)

The employee’s supervisor will approve the scheduling of all vacations. At the end of the last full pay period worked in the fiscal year, any vacation time over one and one-half times the annual allocation will be lost. Unless excepted by the President, all employees will take vacation or personal days when the College is scheduled to be closed in December and in the first week of January, as shown by the College calendar. It is intended that no vacation will be used before being earned. However, should any employee seek to take vacation in advance, it may be allowed only with the prior written approval of a supervisor. In the event of termination of employment, any vacation time owed to the College will be deducted from the final salary payment at the pay rate in effect at the time of separation.

Sick Leave – Details of sick leave for all full-time faculty members may be found in the Faculty Contract. Administration and staff who work a forty-hour per week schedule will accrue sick leave at the rate of 2.7692 hours per pay period (bi-weekly). Thirty-hour per week employees accrue at a rate of 2.0769 hours per pay period (bi-weekly). Employees working less than full-time will not be authorized sick time. Sick leave may be accumulated without limit. It is intended that no sick time will be used before being earned, however, in extraordinary circumstances, sick leave may be advanced on the prior written request of the employee’s supervisor. In the event of termination of employment, any sick leave owed to the College will be deducted from the final salary payment at the pay rate in effect at the time of separation. An employee will not be paid for unused sick leave when retirement, termination or resignation from the College occurs. An employee who must be absent from duty because of illness will notify his or her supervisor at the earliest possible time. Every day of absence will be indicated on the employee’s time sheet. Any absence for reasons which qualify under the Family and Medical Leave Act must be counted toward leave allowed under that policy. Employees are eligible to use sick leave for absences due to illness, injury, death, or medical appointment for the employee, employee’s child, spouse, sibling, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandchild, grandparent, or stepparent. Conditions relating to pregnancy will be treated as any other serious health condition. As a condition to such sick leave, the staff member may be required to furnish a written statement from the member’s physician describing the condition of the ill-being and physical reasons for the staff member’s inability to work. In the event of sick leave taken because of a sickness of a member of the employee’s immediate family, as a condition to sick leave, the staff member may be required to furnish a statement from the treating physician describing the condition of the ill-being and physical reasons for the necessity for the staff member to be with the family member.
Personal Leave – Details of personal leave for all full-time faculty members may be found in the Faculty Contract. Full-time college administrators and staff are eligible for up to five paid personal leave days per fiscal year, front loaded at the beginning of each fiscal year, specifically for the purpose of completing personal business and complying with the Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act. Newly-hired employees will have a 90-day waiting period before using personal days. Employees hired during the fiscal year will receive a pro-rata number of hours upon hire. Under the Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act, short-term employees in higher education are excluded from the mandate. Short-term employees are defined as being employed for less than two consecutive calendar quarters; and have no reasonable expectation that they will be rehired by the same employer for the same service in a subsequent year. Employees may use the time for any reason of their choosing in increments of at least two hours. Where foreseeable, employees should provide at least seven days of notice. Otherwise, the leave request should be made as soon as possible. Personal leave hours must be used by the end of each fiscal year. Any unused personal leave hours at the end of each fiscal year are not carried over. Unused hours are not paid out at the time of termination, resignation, or retirement. If an employee is rehired within twelve months, they will be reinstated with any previously unused personal time.
All part-time employees will receive paid time off in accordance with the Paid Leave for All Workers Act beginning January 1, 2024. Hourly part-time employees (including police academy, traffic school, and non-credit instructors but not including short-term employees, student workers, and work studies) will accrue .025 for every hour worked each pay period. Paid time off is not paid out upon termination, resignation, or retirement. Eligible employees are eligible to earn and use up to 40 hours of paid leave during a twelve-month period or a pro-rata number of hours of paid leave. Employees may use the time for any reason of their choosing in increments of at least two hours. Where foreseeable, employees should provide at least seven days of notice. Otherwise, the leave request should be made as soon as possible.
Family and Medical Leave of Absence Policy and Child Bereavement Leave Act – It is the policy of the Board of Trustees of Sauk Valley Community College to fully comply with the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, in its original form and as amended by law, and the Child Bereavement Act. If an employee elects to maintain health insurance coverage after an unpaid FMLA, they must elect COBRA after one month of leave without pay.
Discretionary Leave of Absence without Pay – Details of leave of absence for all fulltime faculty members may be found in the Faculty Contract. The College may grant a leave of absence without pay to an employee if the leave would serve the best interest of the College and the employee. This section is applicable only after any leave available and applicable under the Family and Medical Leave Act is exhausted. No leave of absence without pay will be granted to any employee who has accrued paid vacation time or who is eligible to be paid sick or personal time. An employee seeking a leave of absence without pay will request leave by giving written notice to the College at least 30 days in advance of the proposed start date of the leave of absence. Leave of absence without pay must be approved in advance by the employee’s supervisor. Leave of absence without pay for more than one calendar month in any fiscal year must be approved in advance by the President. An employee on a leave of absence without pay must elect COBRA to maintain health insurance coverage after one month of unpaid leave. Employees on a leave of absence without pay under this section will not accrue sick/personal leave or vacation, and will not be eligible for any other benefits, which existed or accrued when working. An employee concurrently on SURS disability leave and on a leave of absence without pay will have his or her leave of absence without pay terminated after six months. Grant of leave of absence without pay under this section does not guarantee the employee will return to the same or a similar job at the end of the leave. The College may deny reinstatement if the employee would not otherwise have been employed at the time reinstatement is requested. Failure to return to work at the end of an approved leave of absence will be considered a resignation.
Retirement Benefit Programs – The College believes that it is in the best interest o its employees to use Retirement Benefit Programs. The College will reasonably facilitate employee participation in Section 403(b) and 457(b) programs, and will make salary reductions on behalf of qualified employees when employees comply with this policy. The College will provide for salary reductions and contribute to a designated Benefit program; however, the employee will complete appropriate forms as required and use only those service providers who have entered into an agreement with the College.
Holiday Pay Policy – Full-time employees eligible for holiday pay receive pay at his or her straight time hourly rate for the scheduled work hours on that day. Permanent part-time professional-technical and support staff who work 20 hours or more per week shall receive pro-rated holiday pay of four (4) hours at their regular straight time rate for six major holidays. The six major holidays that apply are New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. If one of the six major holidays should fall on a weekend, then this is not covered as a paid holiday.
Bereavement Leave—Full-Time/Part-Time Active Employees
1. Full-time Active Employees:
  1. The College will grant one day paid leave for bereavement of extended family: aunt, uncle, cousin, niece or nephew. Three days paid leave for family including brother or sister-in-law, son or daughter-in-law, mother or father-in-law, grandparent or grandparent-in-law or grandchild. Five days paid leave for immediate family: spouse or Civil Union partner, child (biological, adopted, foster, step, legal ward, or a child for whom the employee stood in loco parentis), parent, sibling, step-sibling, stepparent. Bereavement leave days cannot be accrued and must be taken within 30 calendar days from the first bereavement day taken to the last bereavement day taken.
  2. Under the Illinois Family Bereavement Leave Act, after 1,250 hours of service with an employer during the prior 12-month period an employee is eligible for two weeks (10 working days) of unpaid leave following the death of a child, stepchild, spouse, domestic partner, sibling, parent or step-parent, mother-in-law or father-in-law, grandchild or grandparent.
  3. Unpaid leave time may be used to:
    1. Attend the funeral or alternative to a funeral of a covered family member;
    2. Make arrangements necessitated by the death of the covered family member;
    3. Grieve the death of the covered family member; or
    4. Be absent from work due to:
      1. a miscarriage,
      2. an unsuccessful round of intrauterine insemination or of an assisted reproductive technology procedure, or
      3. a failed adoption match or an adoption that is not finalized because it is contested by another party;
        a failed surrogacy agreement;
        a diagnosis that negatively impacts pregnancy or fertility; or
        a stillbirth.
  4. Employees will be paid as noted above and the remaining days will be unpaid. Employees meeting the eligibility requirements of the Illinois Family Bereavement Leave Act, may elect to substitute other paid leave they have accrued, such as sick, vacation or personal days, for any unpaid portion of the leave. Leave under the Illinois Family Bereavement Act must be completed within 60 days after the date an employee receives notice of the death of the child. Employees may be entitled to up to 6 weeks of bereavement time in the event of the death of more than one child during a twelve-month period. This Act does not create a right for an employee to take unpaid leave that exceeds the unpaid leave time allowed under, or in addition to the unpaid leave time permitted by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.
  5. The employee’s immediate supervisor authorizes the use of bereavement leave. If additional time is needed beyond what is indicated above, vacation, sick or unpaid personal leave may be taken with supervisory approval in consult with Human Resources. The supervisor should consult with Human Resources in special circumstances.
2. Part-time Active Employees:
  1. Under the Illinois Family Bereavement Leave Act, after 1,250 hours of service with an employer during the prior 12-month period, an employee is eligible for two weeks (10 working days) of unpaid leave following the death of a child. Child is defined as a biological, foster, adopted or step child, a legal ward or a child for whom the employee stood in loco parentis. Bereavement leave days cannot be accrued. Employees meeting the eligibility requirements of the Illinois Family Bereavement Leave Act may elect to substitute leave they have accrued such as sick, vacation or personal days for any portion of the leave. Leave under the Illinois Family Bereavement Act must be completed within 60 days after the date an employee receives notice of the death of the child. Employees may be entitled to up to 6 weeks of bereavement time in the event of the death of more than one child during a twelve-month period. This Act does not create a right for an employee to take unpaid leave that exceeds the unpaid leave time allowed under, or in addition to the unpaid leave time permitted by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.
  2. The employee’s immediate supervisor authorizes the use of bereavement leave. If additional time is needed beyond what is indicated above, vacation, sick or unpaid leave may be taken with supervisory approval in consultation with Human Resources. The supervisor should consult with Human Resources in special circumstances

Revised:

03-23-1987
05-21-1990
02-25-1991
07-27-1992
11-23-1992
10-31-1994
11-28-1994
10-27-1997
03-23-1998
05-26-1998
11-23-1998
10-20-1999
06-23-2003
06-28-2004
04-25-2011
07-29-2013
02-15-2014
11-28-2016
11-27-2017
08-26-2019
11-30-2020
10-23-2023
12-18-2023

Cabinet Reviewed:

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419.01 Fringe Benefits