Sobba v. Pratt Community College & Area Vocational School

117 F. Supp. 2d 1043, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14861, 79 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 40,292, 2000 WL 1482863
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedAugust 22, 2000
Docket99-1149-WEB
StatusPublished

This text of 117 F. Supp. 2d 1043 (Sobba v. Pratt Community College & Area Vocational School) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sobba v. Pratt Community College & Area Vocational School, 117 F. Supp. 2d 1043, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14861, 79 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 40,292, 2000 WL 1482863 (D. Kan. 2000).

Opinion

Memorandum and Order

WESLEY E. BROWN, Senior District Judge.

Between 1994 and 1998, plaintiff Penny Sobba was employed by Pratt Community College (“PCC”) as a residence hall supervisor, as coach of the school’s men’s and women’s tennis teams, and as an adjunct faculty instructor. In 1998, the small, all-female residence hall that plaintiff had been supervising was closed, and PCC notified plaintiff it was re-assigning her to supervise the only other dormitory available to her — a large, all-male residence hall that was difficult to supervise. Plaintiff rejected the position. Shortly thereafter, PCC rescinded its contract offer to plaintiff to coach the tennis teams for the 1998-99 school year. In this action, plaintiff alleges that PCC violated the Equal Pay Act by paying her less than male coaches in similar positions, and that PCC engaged in unlawful gender discrimination in violation of Title VII by discriminating in wages and by terminating her contract to coach tennis. 1 The matter is now be *1045 fore the court on PCC’s motion for summary judgment. At a hearing on the motion on August 21, 2000, counsel for the parties agreed that the matter could be submitted on the briefs.

I. Facts.

In keeping with the standards governing summary judgment, the following facts are either uncontroverted or, when controverted, are viewed in the light most favorable to the plaintiff.

Penny Sobba worked for PCC from August 16, 1994, through the end of the 1997-98 school year. Plaintiff had experience in teaching tennis, physical education and coaching, and had a Masters in Science with emphasis in athletic administration when she was hired at PCC in 1994.

In the summer of 1994, plaintiff wanted to get a job coaching tennis with a junior college or college. She telephoned PCC and asked about openings. Someone at PCC described several coaching positions in various sports and mentioned a dorm supervisor position. At that time, the tennis coaching position was held by Greg Wade, an instructor at PCC. The tennis coaching position was not advertised to be filled.

Plaintiff had two interviews at PCC: one with Janice English, the school’s residence hall supervisor, and another with Don Schwartz, the athletic director. When Sobba interviewed with Schwartz, they talked about tennis and track coaching positions and Sobba’s desire to teach in the physical education department. English later called Sobba and offered her a residence hall supervisor position. She did not offer plaintiff a coaching position. Sobba verbally accepted the residence hall position. Later, Sobba had a call from Brent Kirkhart, the track coach, about taking an assistant track coach position and doing the tennis program.

On August 28, 1994, plaintiff signed three employment contracts with PCC. One of the contracts, for the residence hall supervisor position, paid $7,675.00 annually and provided various benefits. It was classified as a “Professional” position and was designated as a .75 FTE (“full time equivalency”). 2 The other contracts were for positions as assistant track/cross country coach and tennis coach. These positions, which paid $3,000 and $1,260 respectively, were classified as “supplemental” and were not assigned any FTE value in the 1994 contracts. Plaintiff also signed an adjunct faculty contract to teach physical education courses.

PCC’s employee handbook contains a statement asserting that the school’s policy is not to discriminate on the basis of sex in employment and it directs any person having complaints relating thereto to immediately report them to the Personnel Department. Plaintiff signed a form acknowledging she had read the handbook and would be bound by its terms.

In the summer of 1995, plaintiffs coaching duties were reclassified as head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis teams. The tennis coach position was designated as a .25 FTE and plaintiff was compensated $4,260.00, an amount equal to what she had been paid when she was coaching tennis and assisting with track and cross country. The residential supervisor position continued to be designated as a .75 FTE position. Plaintiff received a raise for that position to $7,982 annually. Although plaintiff attempts to controvert PCC’s assertion that the residential supervisor position was her “primary job,” plaintiff cites nothing to controvert the portions of the record showing that PCC conveyed to her that the supervisor position was to be her first priority. See e.g. Sobba Depo. at 383 (“They were always stressing to me that my dorm job took priority to my coaching....”).

During the 1996-97 academic year, plaintiff was paid $8,322 for her residential *1046 supervisor duties. She was also paid $7,175 for her tennis coaching duties (a raise of nearly 70%). These positions remained designated, respectively, as .75 FTE and .25 FTE positions. Plaintiff received additional compensation for adjunct teaching functions.

During the 1997-98 academic year, plaintiff was paid $8,655 for her residential supervisor duties. She was also paid $7,462 for her tennis coaching duties. Plaintiff received additional compensation of $2,400 for adjunct teaching functions.

Throughout her employment at PCC, the teaching duties plaintiff performed were compensated under separate adjunct faculty contracts. The pay for such duties was calculated according to a schedule which paid “x” amount of dollars per credit hour, depending upon the number of semesters of service the employee had completed. In plaintiffs case, she received $300 per credit hour because she had taught fewer than nine semesters.

As part of her compensation, plaintiff received free board and lodging from PCC as well as insurance and benefits for the full 12 months of the year. The value of her insurance benefits ($1,945) and board and lodging ($2,400) was approximately $4,400, making her entire compensation package for the 1997-98 school year approximately $22,287.

PCC’s tennis program was revived by Jack Ewing. At the time he reinstated the program, Ewing was the director of student activities for PCC. For the first year or so, Ewing coached the tennis team for no additional compensation. Eventually, a PCC instructor, Greg Wade, took over coaching duties. Wade volunteered, but in 1992-93 he was compensated at the amount of $1,260 per year. This level of compensation continued through plaintiffs first year as tennis coach.

In May of 1996, plaintiff had asked for more teaching and coaching responsibilities and a salary increase, asserting that a head coach should be making more than any assistant coach position. Dr. Wojcie-chowski told her at that time that “she could continue as dorm supervisor and we could get another tennis coach if she felt the salary was unfair.”

Plaintiffs replacement after her termination in 1998, Jason Kennemer, was hired in June of 1998 for the residence hall and tennis coach positions under contracts providing him the same salary plaintiff had received. Kennemer also received a supplemental payment of $1,000, which covered the period July 1 to August 14, 1998.

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117 F. Supp. 2d 1043, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14861, 79 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 40,292, 2000 WL 1482863, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sobba-v-pratt-community-college-area-vocational-school-ksd-2000.