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How We Found the Instructors Making More than $400K at Community Colleges
The analysis found many rely on online, asynchronous classes, and 10 earned more than $343,000, according to CalMatters.
- A CalMatters analysis of 2024 payroll data identified 72 instructors who held positions at five or more California community college districts, with ten earning more than $343,000, the median salary of a community college president or chancellor.
- Online courses allow professors to teach dozens of classes simultaneously, repackaging similar material for hundreds of students at a time—a practice some describe as a 'hack' enabling instructors to earn high six-figure salaries across multiple districts.
- Sociology professor Thien-Huong Ninh Villarreal, the highest earner, appeared on payroll records for 11 institutions and earned more than $793,000 in 2024 while teaching about 1,100 students across 30 course sections.
- Providing direct student support at such a massive scale is 'nearly impossible,' according to Sarah Thompson, president of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, as state laws require professor-student interaction.
- No centralized system tracks who teaches across multiple districts in California, and no state laws prohibit adjuncts from holding positions at several schools simultaneously, creating a regulatory vacuum.
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How we found the instructors making more than $400K at community colleges
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. CalMatters’ in-depth analysis of 2024 payroll data from the California Community Colleges system found records showing at least 72 instructors were on payroll at five or more community college districts or California State University/University of California campuses. Ten of the 72 instructors we […]
Cal Matters+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
These part-time professors make big money teaching dozens of classes online. Are their students learning?
With no limits on how many classes they teach, some community college professors are teaching dozens at a time, making $400,000 or more.
·Sacramento, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources10
Leaning Left9Leaning Right0Center0Last UpdatedBias Distribution100% Left
Bias Distribution
- 100% of the sources lean Left
100% Left
L 100%
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