3.7.1 Vacation Leave

Policy Tracking	Date
Approved	May 13, 2024
Revised	May 13, 2024
Reviewed	May 13, 2024

Amount Earned by Staff:

Vacation leave is earned by all full-time staff members who have worked (or are on paid leave) for one-half or more of the regularly scheduled workdays in any month. The rate earned is based on the employee’s length of aggregate State service and the hours scheduled to work each week. Vacation leave for staff shall be computed at the following rates. Benefits eligible Staff members working between 30 and 39 hours per week will receive a pro-rata share computed based on their working hours.

Table 1 - Leave Credits
Years of total state service	Hours granted each month	Hours granted each year	Days granted each year
Less than 5 years	9 hrs. 20 mins.	112	14
5 but less than 10 years	11 hrs. 20 mins.	136	17
10 but less than 15 years	13 hrs. 20 mins.	160	20
15 but less than 20 years	15 hrs. 20 mins.	184	23
20 years or more	17 hrs. 20 mins.	208	26

Revised July 7, 2010; March 21, 2016, March 1, 2017
[This revision shall become effective July 1, 2016 and new accrual rates for those affected employees shall begin at that time].

Full-time staff will be granted one (1) “floating” leave day each academic year if the staff member participates in Saturday graduation. This day will be granted beginning July 1 following spring graduation, and will be applied during the College’s Staff Vacation Days in December of the following academic year. This “floating” day may be taken with the approval of the appropriate Vice President. The day must be taken as a complete day. The day does not accumulate, and it will not be paid out if it is not taken unless the staff member terminates within the applicable fiscal year.

Amount Earned by Curriculum Faculty:

Full-time curriculum faculty do not earn or accrue vacation leave. On the annual Academic Calendar, faculty are not required to work on designated “Faculty Leave Days.” Curriculum faculty members who have accumulated vacation leave earned prior to July 1, 1992, will receive a lump sum payment for this leave at the time of separation of employment. Payment shall not exceed a maximum of 240 hours. (See also Section 3.6.2 regarding Compensatory Time for curriculum faculty).

Full-time curriculum faculty will be granted two (2) “floating” leave days each academic year. These days must be taken in the year in which they are granted, beginning July 1 of each year and ending June 30 of the following year. These “floating” days may be taken with the approval of the appropriate dean and the Vice President for Instruction. The days must be taken as complete days. The days may only be taken during class days or work days and may not be taken on graduation days. The days do not accumulate, and they will not be paid out if they are not taken.

Full-time curriculum faculty will be granted one (1) “floating” leave day each academic year and are required to participate in May Saturday graduation. This day will be granted beginning July 1 following spring graduation, and must be taken before June 30 of the following year. This “floating” day may be taken with the approval of the appropriate dean and the Vice President for Instruction. The day must be taken as a complete day and may only be taken during class days or work days and may not be taken on graduation days. The day does not accumulate, and it will not be paid out if it is not taken.

Curriculum deans may be asked to work on designated “Faculty Leave Days” to assist with student advising and registration or other college activities. If this occurs, the deans will be granted leave on alternate days during the year, such that they receive the same number of days off as other faculty. Deans may also request flexibility in scheduling their days off. Records of alternate days off for deans will be maintained by the Office for Instruction.
Amount Earned by Non-curriculum Faculty:

Non-curriculum (Economic and Workforce Development/Continuing Education) Faculty earn vacation leave in the same manner as full-time non-instructional employees (see Section Amount Earned by Staff above); however, such leave may only be taken when that faculty member’s classes are not in session or when vacation leave is used for other approved circumstances provided for in this section.
Exceptions:

Employees who meet stated qualifications may receive additional days of vacation leave, otherwise termed “bonus leave,” as authorized by the State Legislature pursuant to the enactment of an appropriations act.
Maximum Accumulation: Vacation leave may be accumulated without any applicable maximum until June 30th of each fiscal year. On June 30th of each fiscal year, any employee with more than 240 hours of accumulated annual leave shall have the excess (i.e., the amount over 240 hours) converted to sick leave.
Aggregate Service: Vacation leave credit may be given to employees who have had previous service with other agencies of the State of North Carolina. Approval and amounts of such credit will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the President, consistent with the provisions of the State Personnel Act.
Advancement:
1. Vacation leave may be advanced by a Vice President in an amount not to exceed what an employee can earn during the remainder of the fiscal year.
2. For the first six (6) months of service, new employees can only earn vacation leave as stipulated in Section I. Thereafter, an employee may be advanced the amount of leave s/he would earn during the remainder of the fiscal year.
3. An employee desiring an advancement of vacation leave must submit, a request statement outlining the circumstances which require use of as-yet-unearned leave. Each case will be assessed on its merits and considerations given as to the urgency of the request and the College’s business needs.
Scheduling Leave: If an employee has holiday compensatory time, overtime compensatory time, travel compensatory time, emergency closing compensatory time, it must be taken before vacation leave. Vacation leave may be used for the following:
1. Vacation
2. Periods of absence for personal reasons
3. Absences due to adverse weather conditions
4. Personal illness (in lieu of sick leave)
5. Illness in the immediate family
6. Time lost for late reporting (however, deductions should be made from the employee’s pay where excessive tardiness or absenteeism occurs)
7. Donations to a Blue Ridge Community College employee who is an approved voluntary shared leave recipient (See Section 3.7.10 Family Shared Leave)
Vacation leave shall be taken only when approved by the appropriate supervisor. The College shall designate such time or times when vacation leave will least interfere with the efficient operation of the College, including days between academic terms.
Vacation leave may be taken in units of no less than one hour.
Unless designated as vacation leave or holidays, days between academic terms shall be treated as normal workdays.
Leave Charges: Only scheduled work hours shall be charged in calculating the amount of leave taken. Saturdays, Sundays, and/or holidays are charged only if they are scheduled workdays.
Vacation Leave Transferable: If a Blue Ridge Community College employee is hired by another institution within the North Carolina Community College System or another institution under the State of North Carolina Retirement System, the employee's unused vacation leave (as provided for in Section XV below) will be “transferred” to the new employing institution as a credit if the new employer will accept it. If the employer won't accept it, it will be paid out by Blue Ridge Community College, up to 240 hours. Blue Ridge Community College will accept up to 80 hours of vacation leave from employees transferring from another institution.
Vacation leave may be used in lieu of sick leave after all sick leave is exhausted.
Separation from Employment:
1. Lump sum payment for annual leave is made only at the time of separation from employment. An employee shall be paid in a lump sum for accumulated annual leave not to exceed a maximum of two-hundred forty (240) hours when separated from employment from the College due to resignation, dismissal, reduction-in-force, death or service retirement. Employees retiring on disability retirement may exhaust leave rather than be paid in a lump sum.
2. If an employee separates from employment and is overdrawn on annual leave, deductions will be made from the final salary check. It will be deducted in full hour units, i.e., a full hour for any part of an hour overdrawn. As consideration for providing annual leave, employees voluntarily agree to such deductions from their final pay check.
3. Payment for annual leave may be made on the regular payroll or on a supplemental payroll, reflecting the number of days of leave and the amount of payment. Annual leave may be paid through the last full hour of unused leave.
4. Retirement deductions shall be made from all annual leave payouts.
5. The last day of work is the date of separation, except when an employee exhausts sick and annual leave before disability retirement.