TCC faculty have timeline to repay college for overpayment, email shows
Tarrant County College faculty members have up to six months to reimburse the college after administrators said they didn’t meet their contractual obligations this summer, according to an email obtained by the Star-Telegram.
Faculty members, however, have argued they are being punished for a college official’s error. In a new statement, the college admitted the faculty acted in good faith on bad information given by an administrator.
In November, administrators ordered 65 TCC Connect faculty members to repay a portion of their salaries. At the time, Chancellor Elva LeBlanc said those impacted taught fewer than the minimum required course hours during the first 2025 summer session.
TCC Connect is the college’s virtual campus, offering online courses.
Two faculty members who spoke with the Star-Telegram in November said they were told they should have taught at least two courses during the summer session. However, one of them shared an October 2024 email from former Vice Chancellor and Provost Shelley Pearson that said TCC Connect faculty only needed to teach one course in that session.
The members who spoke to the Star-Telegram asked to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions from administrators.
In a statement to the Star-Telegram last month, LeBlanc acknowledged that faculty members “were provided with incorrect information.”
NEWReginald Gates, TCC’s vice chancellor for communications, said the faculty members had received direction that was in violation of college policy and state law.
“The college took immediate corrective action to ensure full compliance with all governing requirements,” Gates wrote in a statement. “Faculty members acted in good faith, and the college values their professionalism and dedication.”
Pearson, the administrator who told faculty members they only had to teach one summer course, is no longer employed by TCC. END OF NEW
A faculty member who shared with the Star-Telegram the email outlining the college’s repayment plan said faculty members were given a week, from Dec. 5 to Dec. 12, to decide whether to repay TCC in one lump sum or spread out payments across multiple months, for as long as six months.
The email was sent from TCC’s Human Resources department. It included a link to a form where faculty members could choose their repayment option, ranging from one to six payments. A message on the form reads as follows:
“We sincerely apologize for this situation and any inconvenience it may cause. To make the repayment process as easy as possible, we are offering several repayment options.”
In the email, faculty members were told to contact their dean with questions about the overpayment. For questions about the repayment process and the timeline, faculty members were told to contact TCC’s payroll manager.
NEW The faculty member who shared the email added that TCC did not provide details on how the reimbursement amounts were calculated. In a statement, Gates said “each affected faculty member received a detailed accounting of their individual overpayment.”
Gates said the calculations were straightforward and were “meticulously reviewed and verified by the appropriate supervisors, including deans, to ensure accuracy.” END NEW
The faculty members who spoke to the Star-Telegram last month said the overpayment issue stemmed from a change to TCC Connect contracts. Before the 2024-25 academic year, TCC Connect faculty were on 12-month contracts. Last year, contract lengths were changed to 10.5 months. That led to confusion over how many courses the faculty members had to teach in the summer.
Gates did not respond to a request to clarify why the contracts were shortened.
This story was originally published December 9, 2025 at 2:16 PM.