Add the speaker of Texas A&M’s faculty senate to those asking A&M system officials to release money for merit raises.
Dr. John Stallone summarized during the September faculty senate meeting he visits with the chairwoman of the A&M system board of regents and the system chancellor.
Stallone said both Elaine Mendoza and John Sharp “emphatically expressed their desire that faculty understand that the withdrawal of the merit pay was in no way punitive and did not reflect any negative views about the extraordinary efforts that faculty are making in the classroom this year during the COVID pandemic.”
Stallone was told merit raise money proposed for all system universities was moved into reserves because “there is several unknowns at present regarding the state budget, the impact of COVID on the school year, whether refunds will be necessary for tuition and/or housing, and the impact of legal actions against the university having to do with online classes.”
Stallone said he “was assured that (the merit pay pool) will be released if and when the financial picture is more certain. Most likely this would be next certain next semester.”
Click below for comments from John Stallone during the September 14, 2020 Texas A&M faculty senate meeting.