Flex Day

Resources from past Flex Days are posted in the Follow-Up Flex Day Resources Page.  Every effort is made to post these resources as quickly as possible following each flex day. 

4. Full-time Faculty Flex Obligations

Full-time faculty’s Flex obligations remain the same this academic year. But we are reducing the reporting requirements for full-time faculty to once a year in order to avoid unnecessary paperwork for faculty and division offices. Full-time faculty who will be on leave during the Spring semester should report their hours before going on leave or report them while on leave in order to meet the due date.

Full-time faculty’s Flex obligations are explained in section 7.11.1 of our contract (page 15 of the 2022-2025 AFT contract). As of 2018, SMCCCD requires mandatory attendance at two Flex Days for full-time faculty. The mandatory Flex Days for full-time faculty are the College Flex days on August 13, 2024, and January 10, 2025, participating for a minimum of five hours each of these days.

More generally, full-time faculty members are responsible for completing a total of thirty (30) flex hour activities for the year, which includes the minimum of ten hours completed during the mandatory Flex Days. The remaining hours may be completed during the other Flex Days or other appropriate activities, which are discussed in more detail in the Flex Activities on Alternative Days section above. Activities will be self-certified, reported on the SMCCCD Flex Activity

5.1 General Information for Part-time Faculty

Part-time faculty’s Flex activity opportunities are explained in section 7.11.2 of our contract (pages 15-16 of the 2022-2025 AFT contract). While part-time faculty are not required to attend Flex days, all part-time faculty may attend and be compensated for the six scheduled College and District Flex Days listed above.

Compensation for attendance is always at the special rate except when a Flex Day(s) is/are held on a day of the week that a faculty member has their regular teaching or other non-instructional assignment. In these cases, compensation is paid at their lecture or lab rate for the number of student contact hours usually worked that day of the week. This total number may include part-time faculty’s assignments at more than one college in the District but excludes office hours.

A part-time faculty member whose assignment falls on the same day of the week as one of the College or District Flex Days may participate in an alternative professional development

activity/activities of their choosing any day during the Fall or Spring term, for up to the number of hours they are assigned to work on that day of the week. (See the Flex Activities on Alternative Days section above). If you are confused about your options, consult with your AFT chapter representative.

5.2 For Part-time Faculty Who Work Asynchronously

Part-time faculty teaching asynchronous courses are encouraged to consult ahead with their AFT chapter representative if they have questions about claiming compensation for alternative Flex activities.

5.3 Part-time Faculty: How to Report Flex Activities and Request Compensation

For part-time faculty, page 16 of the 2022-2025 AFT contract (section 7.11.2) states, “Requests for approved flex day pay must be submitted by the last day of final exams of the semester in which the flex activity occurred.” More specifically, part-time faculty should submit two documents to their Dean by the last day of final exams each semester: 1) the Flex Reporting form at the end of this memo and 2)the Adjunct-OL timesheet form. (The timesheet form is also available in SMCCCD District Downloads.) The Dean will inform the faculty member if there are any questions about whether an activity counts toward Flex time. In general, advance approval for Flex activities is not required because faculty’s Flex activities are self-certified.

As noted above, the Flex reporting and request for compensation due dates for part-time faculty this academic year are FALL - December 16, 2024; SPRING - May 22, 2025.

More than one Flex Day’s activities may be included on one form. However, a part-time faculty member who works at multiple SMCCCD colleges and attends Flex Days at each college must submit separate forms to their division Deans at each college.

The AFT website includes more resources related to part-time faculty’s Flex opportunities: Flex days and part-time faculty.

2. Flex Activities on Alternative Days

The purpose of Flex days, according to Title 5, Division 6, §55724, is to provide time for faculty to participate in “development activities related to staff, student, and instructional improvement.”

Accordingly, activities that can count toward flex time may include, but need not be limited to:

• Course instruction and evaluation
• Staff development, in-service training and instructional improvement
• Program and course curriculum or learning resource development and evaluation
• Student personnel services
• Learning resource services
• Related activities, such as student advising, guidance, orientation, matriculation services, and student, faculty & staff diversity
• Departmental or division meetings, conferences and workshops, and institutional research
• Other duties as assigned by the district
• The necessary supporting activities for the above

If you are uncertain whether a particular activity would count as a Flex activity on an alternative day, then please see the Additional Resources: Who Can Help section below.

District Flex Day Calendar for 2024-Academic Year

There are six (6) Flex Days in the 2024-2025 academic calendar, scheduled as follows:

• Monday, August 12th (District Flex Day)
• Tuesday, August 13th (mandatory for full-time faculty) (College Flex Day)
• Wednesday, October 9th (College Flex Day)
• Thursday, January 9th (District Flex Day)
• Friday, January 10th (mandatory for full-time faculty) (College Flex Day)
• Thursday, April 17th (College Flex Day)

District Flex Day Calendar for 2024-Academic Year

There are six (6) Flex Days in the 2024-2025 academic calendar, scheduled as follows:

• Monday, August 12th (District Flex Day)
• Tuesday, August 13th (mandatory for full-time faculty) (College Flex Day)
• Wednesday, October 9th (College Flex Day)
• Thursday, January 9th (District Flex Day)
• Friday, January 10th (mandatory for full-time faculty) (College Flex Day)
• Thursday, April 17th (College Flex Day)

You don’t need to wait for our proposal request. Feel free to submit a proposal or recommendation for ANY of our upcoming Flex Days! Though we cannot accommodate all requests, we will take them into careful consideration.

• October 9, 2024 – Deadline for proposals Friday, September 6, 2024
• January 9-10, 2025 – Deadline for proposals Friday, November 22, 2024
• April 17, 2025 – Deadline for proposals Friday, March 14, 2025
• August 2025- Deadline for proposals, Friday of finals week 2025

For more information, contact Ellen Young ([email protected]).

6. Additional Resources: Who Can Help

If you have any questions about the Flex Reporting process, please reach out to any of the following:

District Academic Senate President: David Eck

District Professional Development Coordinator: Christopher Collins

AFT Chapter Chairs for 2024-2025

• Cañada College: Camille Kaslan
• College of San Mateo: Beth LaRochelle
• Skyline College: Mick Song

A note from the librarians! "Faculty can receive Flex credit if they meet with librarians because it fits with several of the types of activities listed in section 55724 of Title 5. Furthermore, PT faculty can use this activity for flex credit too, as long as they follow 7.11.2 in the contract. Schedule a library session now or email the librarians for any additional questions."