by Eric Hoffman
If you believe an evaluation or other meeting with an administrator may lead to discipline, such as loss of assignment or placement on administrative leave, you have what are called Weingarten Rights—the right to have a CCFT representative at any meeting on the issue. You must request representation; the College is not required to inform you of this right.
When you start work at Cabrillo, you are evaluated several times. If you are tenure track, you are evaluated in your first, second, and third semesters, once in your third year, and once in the fall semester of your fourth year (your “pre-tenure” evaluation); if you are an adjunct faculty you are evaluated during your first and third semesters. After that, you are evaluated once every three years, as required by the California Ed Code. . . unless your supervisor requests an “off-cycle” evaluation. When is that allowed under our contract? What happens during an off-cycle evaluation?
- If you are adjunct faculty, your Dean or supervising administrator can request an off-cycle evaluation if, in his or her judgment your work has been “less than satisfactory.” The administrator must inform you of the reasons in writing, then schedule a meeting with you within 10 working days.to discuss the issues and opportunities for improvement. You must be given an opportunity to show improvement before an off-cycle evaluation is scheduled.
- If you are tenured faculty your Dean or supervising administrator can request an off-cycle evaluation if, in his or her judgment, “there is a new or escalating issue identified that is significant or compelling.” The administrator must inform you of the reasons in writing, then schedule a meeting with you within 10 working days.to discuss the issues and opportunities for improvement. Before an off-cycle evaluation can be scheduled, it has to be reviewed by the appropriate vice president and the CCFT president, then approved by a committee of three CCFT officers.
Once the off-cycle evaluation is scheduled, it uses the same procedure as a regular evaluation. If there are significant problems identified in any evaluation, the administrator can schedule a reevaluation the next semester, either by repeating the evaluation process or asking the appropriate vice president to lead the process. Reevaluation can be crucial for an adjunct—if his or her work is found to be unsatisfactory, it can lead to the loss of reemployment preference.