Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research | BILL ANALYSIS |
Higher Education Committee |
HB 1238
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent. |
Brief Description: Creating new full-time tenure track positions at the state's four-year public institutions of higher education.
Sponsors: Representatives Pollet, Haler, Tarleton, Sells, Holy, Orwall, Bergquist, Frame, Fitzgibbon, Ormsby, Stanford and Farrell.
Brief Summary of Bill |
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Hearing Date: 1/24/17
Staff: Trudes Tango (786-7384).
Background:
Generally, a faculty member who has tenure may not have his or her position terminated or salary reduced, except for specific reasons. Typically, a faculty member is eligible for tenure if he or she has held full-time rank as an assistant professor for a certain amount of time and has met other criteria. Faculty members that typically do not acquire tenure are faculty such as teaching associates, visiting appointments, and adjunct appointments.
The state and regional universities and the Evergreen State College each have their own policies and procedures for granting faculty tenure. Those Institutions use both full-time and part-time instructional faculty.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of full-time and part-time instructional faculty in 2015 were as follows:
Institution | Full-time | Part-time |
University of WA -- Seattle | 3,569 | 990 |
Washington State University | 1,382 | 496 |
Western Washington | 598 | 330 |
Central Washington | 473 | 213 |
Eastern Washington | 478 | 271 |
Evergreen State College | 157 | 67 |
Summary of Bill:
The Legislature declares that student completion and success may be improved by increasing the percent of full-time tenure track faculty.
Subject to availability of amounts appropriated for this purpose, the faculty expansion program at the four-year public institutions is created. The stated purpose of the program is to encourage the four-year public institutions to increase the number of full-time tenure track positions on their campuses.
For every two full-time tenure track faculty positions a four-year public institution creates and fills or actively seeks to fill in the 2017-19 biennium, the program must provide $100,000 to that institution for the 2017-19 fiscal biennium and $100,000 for the 2019-21 fiscal biennium. The provided funds must be used solely to fund a third full-time tenure track faculty position. Each institution is eligible to receive up to $500,000 for each of the biennium to fund up to five program-funded positions.
An institution is eligible to receive these amounts only if the prerequisite full-time tenure track positions created are new, meaning the positions were not in existence before the fall of 2017 and are not positions that are vacant due to attrition or retirement.
Duties of the full-time tenure track faculty positions must include a full-time teaching load, advising, and curriculum development.
"Four-year public institution" refers to any one of the state or regional universities or the Evergreen State College.
The act expires June 30, 2022.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on 1/16/2017
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.