BC3, faculty agree to new 4-year contract
Butler County Community College heads into 2026 without having to worry about contract negotiations with faculty members.
The community college’s board of trustees approved a four-year contract between the college and the BC3 Education Association at the board’s Dec. 3 meeting.
The contract includes several changes, including increases to base salaries for full-time faculty members, early retirement incentives, an increase in “overload payments” for teaching a certain amount of credits in a year and changes in medical insurance payments.
“I think it was a very respectful and thoughtful process,” Megan Coval, BC3’s president, said in a news release. “We’re very pleased to see this come to a resolution with what is a fair contract that honors and values our faculty and all that they do for BC3.”
The BC3 Education Association, the faculty union, represents more than 80 full-time and regular part-time faculty members.
BC3 said negotiations have been ongoing since January.
Full-time faculty members will see an increase of $2,060 to their base salary in the first year of their contract, a 3% base increase in the second year, a $2,920 increase in the third, and a 3% in the fourth.
As part of the agreement, BC3 approved early retirement incentives for full-time faculty members with at least 15 years of service. The first offer of $30,000 is valid from July 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2026. A second offer of $7,500 is valid from Jan. 1, 2028, to June 30, 2028.
Overload payments for professors will increase from $890 in the previous contract to $915 in spring 2026. They will go up by $30 to $40 each year after that. Overload payments are made to full-time faculty members who teach more than 30 credits in an academic year.
According to details from BC3, medical insurance payments by faculty will increase to at least 11.5% of the current premium rates charged by the exclusive provider organization plan. That percentage could increase in July based on the plan’s increased costs.
The contract is retroactive to July 1, 2025, and expires June 30, 2029. The educators will receive one-time supplemental payments Dec. 15. Full-time faculty members will receive $2,000, while regular part-time instructors will receive $600.
