The two 12 hours per week College Auxiliary positions for both the ESL and HSE programs does not allow the auxiliaries to complete all tasks for an ESL program that has an average registration of 831 and an HSE program that has an average registration of 800 per academic year. These programs are on both campuses and run full schedules throughout the year, even in summer.

We have explored consolidating duties into one position but our only viable option is changing to part-time. This is due to distinctly different clerical duties and the distinctly different natures between the ESL and HSE programs.   

We are recommending a change from the 520 hours per year to part time positions for at least 19 hours per week.

The limitation of 520 hours per year for each of the two auxiliaries currently require coordinators to assume all clerical and intake duties. Coordinators are not currently able to dedicate full attention to managing the teachers, developing curriculum, testing students and providing much needed counseling for students, many of whom have special academic and emotional needs. Coordinators currently respond to all incoming walk in students, respond to all phone calls, prepare test materials, register students and process all paperwork related to TASC and ESL testing and referrals of students to the College upon completion of the program. We considered technological solutions but we do not have the ability to register students online owing to the need for a pre-assessment of skills which is completed in person at intake. Students enter at different levels and must be assessed individually, then counseled about the class and then about what to do upon completion of the ESL or HSE program. 

These programs have grown considerably since inception. The coordinator relies on the auxiliary to assist all new students scheduling appointments for evaluations, assist all current students with registration and placement issues, serve as a liaison between 16 teachers of  ESL and 16 teachers of HSE and the coordinators, assist in counseling students on the phone and in person, assist with testing and the other clerical tasks of running a busy program. The ESL Coordinator works on both campuses and the current auxiliary does not have enough hours to have a presence in Newburgh for when the coordinator is in Middletown, thus leaving walk-in students without assistance. The auxiliary is also practically the only other Spanish speaker on the Newburgh campus, other than the coordinator. Additionally, the ESL auxiliary assists the HSE Coordinator with Spanish HSE students, whose population is increasing. When the ESL and HSE auxiliaries are not working, the coordinators end up doing all of the work the auxiliary workers of each program don't have time to do.