A contract extension and pay raise for Interim Chancellor Bernard Luskin will be voted on at the Feb. 16 Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees meeting.

Luskin entered his position on July 1, 2015 on a one-year contract and seeks an extension to June 30, 2017. His salary will increase from $225,000 to a base salary of $242,942.02, according to the proposed employment agreement.

That number will increase to at least $273,302 on July 1, so it’s equal to the average base salary of California community college multi-college district chancellors, according to the most recent data provided by the Association of California Community College Administrators.

There has been backlash to what some deem an inappropriate addition of salary and contract length.

“A lot of teachers have a question regarding an interim chancellor for two years,” said Steve Hall, president of the Ventura County Federation of College Teachers.

Hall has expressed a formal objection to the approval of the proposed contract, citing the “disproportionate increases in salary,” and a “buyout clause.”

He stated that since Luskin is an interim chancellor, the contract should be altered so that either party can terminate the contract at any time.

The contract states that if the board terminates the agreement early and without cause, the chancellor will still receive up to six months of the base salary he would have earned.

Hall also recommends that the board begin to search for a replacement chancellor immediately.

Olivia Long, chief steward of the Service Employees International Union Local 99 Educated Workers United, also objected to the approval of the contract.

The above objections are listed on the current agenda.

At the January meeting Trustee Dianne McKay acknowledged the board’s lack of progress in finding a new chancellor.

“We are behind in the search for a new chancellor,” McKay said. “Accreditation is coming up and we need stability, so I think it’s in the best interest to have an interim chancellor for two years.”

According to the Board of Trustees agenda item 12.02, which regards the contract, the increase in Luskin’s compensation will enhance the search for a permanent chancellor to replace him.

The contract extension was initially placed on the agenda of the last board meeting on Jan. 19, however was pushed back to February as many felt it was added in too late to receive proper attention.

An interim chancellor cannot serve more than two years, making July 2017 the latest it can be extended to, according to Beneficio Garcia from the board’s law firm.

For a more detailed look at the agenda, see http://www.boarddocs.com/ca/vcccd/Board.nsf/vpublic?open