Hott

—Plaintiff Lisa Hott (Hott) is a former College of the Sequoias Community College District (COS) administrator whose position was eliminated due to budget cuts. Pursuant to Education Code section 87458, COS offered Hott, who did not have any prior faculty experience, a position as a first-year probationary faculty member, which she accepted. COS determined Hott’s faculty salary under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement between COS and its faculty members, and gave her credit for five years’ occupational experience, which was the maximum credit she could receive. Hott subsequently filed a complaint for declaratory relief against COS, alleging that COS placed her in the wrong “step” on the faculty academic salary schedule because it should have given her full credit for her 15 years of administrative experience. The trial court agreed with Hott, finding that pursuant to a handbook for administrative employees, she was entitled to year-for-year credit for her total years of employment at COS.

On appeal from the resulting judgment, COS contends the trial court erred (1) in hearing and determining Hott’s claim because it falls within the exclusive jurisdiction of…