Investing in Our Community Members
Howard Community College is committed to building our institution and community into a best-in-class environment for students and employees. Part of this commitment involves assessing wages and benefits in relation to market trends and legislative appropriations.
Under the leadership of the HCC Board of Trustees and President Daria J. Willis, base salaries through cost-of-living (COLA) adjustments for all full-time faculty and staff members have increased by more than 20% between FY22 and FY26.
FY22 2%; merit was a one-time bonus of $1,500 for FT employees
FY23 7% COLA
FY24 6.5% COLA
FY25 3% COLA; 1% merit for all employees*
We are continuing to support employees with another round of salary adjustments for FY26. On or before August 15, 2025, each eligible full-time budgeted employee will receive a one-time, performance-based merit payment of $3,500. This amount will not be included in the employee's base salary. Each eligible employee will also receive a four percent (4%) cost-of-living adjustment.
*The college remains in good faith negotiations with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which represents all full-time faculty members in HCC's inaugural collective bargaining process. For months, these negotiations have covered a range of topics, including compensation. In FY25, AFT and HCC agreed upon COLA and merit increases mirroring those given to non-bargaining unit employees, as a bargained addendum for all unionized faculty employees.
Offers have been exchanged between the college and AFT as recently as last week. We look forward to continuing good faith negotiations with AFT representatives as we work towards a fair and sustainable agreement.
The Board and Senior Leadership are also pleased to announce plans for a compensation study, which will aim to reduce disparities in earnings across the college's departments and functions. The results of this study will help mitigate decades-long unevenness in our salary offerings, which creates challenges in attracting top talent, scheduling salary increases, rewarding meritorious service to the college, and ensuring pay equity concerning gender, experience, and tenure at the college.
We will keep the college community informed about the start and process of this study in the coming months.
Finally, it has come to the attention of the Board of Trustees that some employees will hold a demonstration on campus tomorrow, with compensation as a possible topic for discussion during the event. We remind everyone of HCC’s non-negotiable commitment to safety, civility, and respect for all students, employees, and guests.
We hope everyone will review our procedures and policies regarding on-campus conduct and encourage others to do the same. Anyone who violates these policies will be subject to the discipline standards outlined in our guidelines and may be subject to legal intervention if deemed appropriate.
Any HCC-affiliated or non-affiliated individuals or groups who come to campus to disrupt regular business will be subject to removal.
We appreciate the hard work of every employee who dedicates themselves to meeting students where they dream. We thank you for your continuing contributions to HCC through work and service.