Short Version--
Chaplain
Professional Equity--Parity
A.
Superlatives in Agency Contributions
B.
Chaplain Professional Equity--Reclassification
C.
Resolution
D.
Helping Chaplaincy Is a Good Thing--Good for Everyone
For
Full Version: Chaplain
Professional Equity--Parity
A.
Superlatives
in Agency Contributions
Chaplains cultivate the Precious Heart. The time has come to grant to Texas’ own state chaplains Professional Equity—Parity. The clients of Texas’ several agencies are among Texas’ most needy persons, and Texas State Chaplains facilitate the most, the most Significant Resource for Change in Human History--Religion.
Chaplains contribute enormously to every mission critical aspect of their agencies. Yet they have been left far behind in compensation and logistical support and even out of the loop with respect to how their own profession can grow and develop. The chaplaincy service is full of superlatives. This is about the value of faith.
Here’s
the question: SHOULD these
--
> Highly trained and experienced persons with roots in some of the most esteemed schools on earth;
> Who access and facilitate human history’s and the world’s most significant resource for change—Religion—networking across Texas, the nation and the world;
> Who associate and network with scores of chaplaincy and religious associations;
> Who train and supervise thousands of Texas’ most esteemed persons—volunteers;
> Who teach, create and can access thousands of curricula and programs, many free;
> Who deal with the crises of Texas’ most needy persons—the agencies’ clients;
> Who deal with the crises and struggles of agency staff and their families, victims and their families as well as volunteers and their families;
> Who some deal with the meanest, most dangerous and most disturbed persons in Texas;
> Who by reducing recidivism recover their entire operating cost, then recover that cost again in their facilitation of volunteers who also reduce recidivism and then recover that cost yet again—a third time over in the of religious consumables chaplains resource from around Texas, the United States, Arabia and the world;
> Who do all of this without the clerical support granted to other programs and professions;
> Who have done all of this loyally for forty years without the loyalty of regular compensation upgrades and without increased logistical help;
-- SHOULD Chaplains be granted professional equity, granted parity among Texas’ own professions for their experience, education and contribution?
Why
not?
B.
Professional
Equity for Texas State Chaplains--
Reclassification:
Title
&
Pay
Requirements
Classification
Group
Director
TDCJ Chaplaincy
Chaplain VII
B-19
same as below, w/ publication, doctorate pref.
Directors
TYC & MHMR Chaplaincy
Chaplain VI
B-17
same as below, with associational membership
Regional
Dir.s TDCJ Chaplaincy
Chaplain VI
B-17
M.Div. + 6 yrs Instit.*
exp + 3 Units CPE Clinical
Senior
Institution Chaplain Supervisor
Chaplain V
B-15
M.Div. + 6 yrs Instit. exp. + 3 Units CPE Clinical
Senior
Institution Chaplain
Chaplain IV
B-14
M.Div./eqv.
* + 6 yrs Instit. exp + 3 Units CPE
Senior
Institution Chaplain
Chaplain III
B-13
M.Div./eqv. + 5 yrs Insitit. exp + 2 Units CPE
Institution
Chaplain
Chaplain II
B-12
BA/eqv., 3 yrs Instit. or 1 yr Instit. + M.Div.
Entry
Institution Chaplain
Chaplain I
B-10
BA/eqv.
+ 5 yrs. min. exp. or M.Div. + 3yrs
2 Admin. Tech. III and Office start up costs for the two offices of the Director of Chaplains for TYC and MHMR
All Chaplains
I-VII start
at the mid-range of
their respective pay groups, topping out after 10 years of service with
progressive promotion automatic to the Chaplain IV position given the minimum
qualifications.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-
In the light of all the other professions
listed in the appendixes of the
Full Version, the above
IS
in fact Professional Equity and Parity
given the
experience,
education and contribution of chaplains.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
C.
Resolution
Full Professional Equity
is merited after 30+ years of no reclassification.
This is especially so given the enormous contributions that chaplains
give to a broad spectrum of each agency’s mission critical functions as well
as their cost-effective delivery. Because
of the decades past, we ask for the following resolution:
“Whereas,
since Texas State Chaplains are educated and experienced in religion, religious
issues and in a variety of religious persuasions and communities,
Since that education and experience
is rooted for the most part in a long and rich tradition as well as rooted
within some of the most esteemed schools in the state and nation,
Since they facilitate human
history’s greatest resource for change,
Since the clients themselves are
highly restricted and
Since the chaplains by nature
interface with the religious community at large, around the state and throughout
the nation,
Therefore, be it resolved that
Texas agencies maintaining custody of individuals are asked and encouraged
To fund future growth of the
chaplaincy departments,
To support the chaplaincy
departments as they initiate, seek out and network further with their rich
religious backgrounds and the faith community itself in the facilitation and
supervision of faith-based programs and
To support chaplaincy efforts in
the light of the mission statements of their respective agencies to dialogue and
cultivate collegiality between the agency chaplaincy departments in an effort to
facilitate greater professional development of Texas State Chaplains in the
highest traditions of quality non-sectarian needs-based faith and pastoral care;
and
Be it furthermore resolved that all
agency chaplaincy departments are charged with and encouraged to continue to
develop, recruit, train and manage volunteers who are esteemed citizens who help
save Texas money and who contribute enormously to the well-being of Texas’
clients and the clients’ families.”
D.
Helping Chaplaincy Is a Good
Thing—
Good for Everyone
These appeals come from the heart of chaplains who have given their lives to a profession that seeks to address human needs and to address those needs in certain accord with the various mission statements of each agency.
Within the institutions, most of the clients are among Texas’ most needy persons and some are among Texas’ most dangerous and violent and vile persons. State Chaplains facilitate human history’s greatest resource within society’s most restrictive settings and among Texas’ most disturbed clients; that the chaplains be well trained and at a very minimum compensated in an equitable manner for their education and experience and contributions is most reasonable and fair. Clinically trained and educated Chaplains are the best way to truly resource the religious community in the highest traditions of quality pastoral care and holistic needs-based delivery of faith-based resources. This is all about religious freedom and competent program management.
This is also an appeal to help facilitate state chaplain collegiality between the agencies.
The following is an extended series of documents outlining the huge and often indefinable aspects of chaplaincy. What is certainly needed, given the following, is a mechanism for allowing the chaplaincy profession to develop further their already huge resources. Just a glance at the following belies the almost innumerable challenges, the huge numbers of persons inside and outside the agencies that chaplains must encounter, the broad spectrum of boundary spanning, the multiple roles and role-overload, the almost endless source of volunteer support, the almost endless number of programs affecting clients, staff and the community at large and the almost endless manner in which this list of superlatives could be extended. What makes this proposal for reclassification and empowerment even more credible is that nothing but minimum tolerance has been the course for 30+ years.
Chaplains facilitate human history’s greatest resource. They do this and impact every mission critical function of their agencies. They do those and positively affect the families of the clients in the respective agencies in such a way that also affects Texas citizenship and humanity in general. The needs and contributions alone merit professional equity. That Chaplains do the above in an enormously cost-effective manner—then all of the above and cost-effectiveness MORE than justifies and merits profession equity.
That this justification and merit for professional equity has been left alone for 30+ years calls all the more for significant reclassification and empowerment. Help chaplains cultivate the precious heart and so contribute to Texas.
Chaplains need a career ladder. They are—minimally—as deserving as any other profession listed in the appendixes. And their contributions are as deserving as well as significant and cost-effective. Redress, reclassification and empowerment would help Texas as well a the noble and long-standing profession of chaplaincy itself better meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Helping chaplaincy is a good thing to do—good for everyone.
Full
Version -- Click Below
--
Chaplain Professional
Equity--Parity