H-1396.2                  _______________________________________________

 

                                                      HOUSE BILL 1898

                              _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington                              53rd Legislature                             1993 Regular Session

 

By Representatives King, Wood, Jones, Shin, Jacobsen and G. Cole

 

Read first time 02/15/93.  Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

 

Decentralizing posttenure evaluation for higher education faculty.


          AN ACT Relating to tenure; reenacting and amending RCW 28B.50.851; creating a new section; repealing RCW 28B.50.858; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

 

        Sec. 1.  RCW 28B.50.851 and 1991 c 294 s 2 and 1991 c 238 s 68 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

          As used in RCW 28B.50.850 through 28B.50.869:

          (1) "Tenure" shall mean a faculty appointment for an indefinite period of time which may be revoked only for adequate cause and by due process;

          (2)(a) "Faculty appointment", except as otherwise provided in (b) of this subsection, shall mean full time employment as a teacher, counselor, librarian or other position for which the training, experience and responsibilities are comparable as determined by the appointing authority, except administrative appointments; "faculty appointment" shall also mean department heads, division heads and administrators to the extent that such department heads, division heads or administrators have had or do have status as a teacher, counselor, or librarian; faculty appointment shall also mean employment on a reduced work load basis when a faculty member has retained tenure under RCW 28B.50.859;

          (b) "Faculty appointment" shall not mean special faculty appointment as a teacher, counselor, librarian, or other position as enumerated in (a) of this subsection, when such employment results from special funds provided to a community college district from federal moneys or other special funds which other funds are designated as "special funds" by the college board:  PROVIDED, That such "special funds" so designated by the college board for purposes of this section shall apply only to teachers, counselors and librarians hired from grants and service agreements and teachers, counselors and librarians hired in nonformula positions.  A special faculty appointment resulting from such special financing may be terminated upon a reduction or elimination of funding or a reduction or elimination of program:  PROVIDED FURTHER, That "faculty appointees" holding faculty appointments pursuant to subsections (1) or (2)(a) of this section who have been subsequently transferred to positions financed from "special funds" pursuant to (b) of this subsection and who thereafter lose their positions upon reduction or elimination of such "special funding" shall be entitled to be returned to previous status as faculty appointees pursuant to subsection (1) or (2)(a) of this section depending upon their status prior to the "special funding" transfer.  Notwithstanding the fact that tenure shall not be granted to anyone holding a special faculty appointment, the termination of any such faculty appointment prior to the expiration of the term of such faculty member's individual contract for any cause which is not related to elimination or reduction of financing or the elimination or reduction of program shall be considered a termination for cause subject to the provisions of this chapter;

          (3) "Probationary faculty appointment" shall mean a faculty appointment for a designated period of time which may be terminated without cause upon expiration of the probationer's terms of employment;

          (4) "Probationer" shall mean an individual holding a probationary faculty appointment;

          (5) "Administrative appointment" shall mean employment in a specific administrative position as determined by the appointing authority;

          (6) "Appointing authority" shall mean the board of trustees of a college district;

          (7) "Review committee" shall mean a committee composed of the probationer's faculty peers ((or tenured faculty member's peers)), a student representative, and the administrative staff of the community or technical college:  PROVIDED, That the majority of the committee shall consist of the probationer's faculty peers ((or tenured faculty member's peers)).

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  RCW 28B.50.858 and 1991 c 294 s 5 are each repealed.

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3.  Nothing contained in this act shall be construed to alter any existing collective bargaining unit or the provisions of any existing collective bargaining agreement.

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect July 1, 1993.

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5.  If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

 


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