AN ACT Relating to higher education faculty salaries; adding a new chapter to Title 28B RCW; creating a new section; providing an effective date; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that higher education is of the utmost importance to the continued social, cultural, and economic well-being of the people of Washington state.

The legislature also finds that salaries for full-time state-funded teaching and research faculty are below faculty salary levels at their peer institutions and that this situation is detrimental to attaining excellence in the education and training of our people.

The legislature recognizes that continued deterioration in faculty salaries will result from the inability to address adequately the faculty salary disparities in the 1985-87 biennium and will thus present an even more serious problem by the commencement of the 1987-89 biennium, particularly in the retention and recruitment of the most able and meritorious faculty.

The legislature recognizes that efforts to address the problem of competitive faculty salaries will require the commitment of significant state resources for which other important programs will compete.

It is therefore the legislature's intent to remedy faculty salary disparities and achieve fully competitive salaries for full-time state-funded teaching and research faculty at Washington state's institutions of higher education in four annual steps beginning July 1, 1987, and ending July 1, 1990.

The legislature further intends that the salary increases that are provided by this chapter shall be based upon documented disparities in faculty salaries relative to those at peer institutions and be distributed within each institution on the basis of evidence of each faculty member's meritorious contribution to the profession, the institution, and the community.

The legislature intends that the salary increases that are provided by this chapter shall not be distributed on an across-the-board basis.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. Unless the content clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Washington state institutions of higher education" means the University of Washington, Washington State University, Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, Western Washington University, The Evergreen State College, and all community college districts within the jurisdiction of the state board for community college education.

(2) "Research institutions" means the University of Washington and Washington State University.

(3) "Regional institutions" means Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, Western Washington University, and The Evergreen State College.

(4) "Peer institutions" means (a) for the University of Washington: University of Arizona; University of California at Berkeley; University of California at Los Angeles; University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana; University of Iowa; University of Michigan; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and the University of Oregon and the Oregon Health Sciences University; (b) for Washington State University: University of California at Davis; University of California at Santa Barbara; University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana; Purdue University; Iowa State University; Michigan State University; North Carolina State; and Oregon State University; and (c) for the regional universities and The Evergreen State College: Northern Arizona University; California State University at Chico; California State University at Hayward; Western Illinois University; Northern Michigan University; Western Carolina University; and Portland State University.

(5) "Faculty salary disparity" means, for each Washington institution of higher education, the extent to which average salaries for its eligible faculty are below the average salaries received by full-time state-funded teaching and research faculty at its designated peer institutions: PROVIDED, That for Washington state's community college system, faculty salary disparities shall be the extent to which average salaries for their eligible faculty are below the mid-point between the average faculty salary at regional institutions and the average salary for secondary classroom teachers in Washington state.

(6) "Eligible faculty" means those full-time state-funded teaching and research faculty and primary support personnel who are appointed with a faculty title and paid one hundred percent of a full-time equivalent salary rate on a monthly basis.

(7) "Merit" means excellence in performance, consistent with the role and mission of each respective institution and its individual colleges, schools, and departments as evidenced by evaluations of teaching effectiveness, service to the institution and its students, the profession, and the community, and for the research institutions and regional institutions, the professional recognition of research and publications.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. This chapter shall apply only to eligible faculty at Washington state institutions of higher education: PROVIDED, That this chapter shall not be construed to grant any Washington state institution of higher education or its faculty or employees the right to reach agreements regarding salary or compensation increases in excess of the amounts provided by this chapter.

This chapter shall not prevent the granting of salary increases, on terms consistent with this chapter, to research faculty at Washington institutions of higher education supported by moneys other than state funds as long as sufficient moneys exist to support such increases.

This chapter shall not preclude eligible faculty from receiving general salary increases granted by the legislature to state employees through the normal appropriations process. These general salary increases shall be fully recognized by the office of financial management and the higher education coordinating board in updating their report of faculty salary disparities at each Washington institution of higher education.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The faculty salary disparities identified each year for Washington state institutions of higher education shall be eliminated in four steps beginning July 1, 1987, according to the schedule in this section. Each year's salary adjustments shall be fully recognized as part of each institution's budget base in all subsequent biennia:

(1) Beginning July 1, 1987, one-quarter of the faculty salary disparity identified for each Washington state institution of higher education in the January 1987 report prepared pursuant to section 6 of this act shall be eliminated.

(2) Beginning July 1, 1988, one-third of the remaining faculty salary disparity identified for each Washington state institution of higher education in the January 1988 report prepared pursuant to section 6 of this act shall be eliminated.

(3) Beginning July 1, 1989, one-half of the remaining faculty salary disparity identified for each Washington state institution of higher education in the January 1989 report prepared pursuant to section 6 of this act shall be eliminated.

(4) Beginning July 1, 1990, the entire remaining faculty salary disparity identified for each Washington state institution of higher education in the January 1990 report prepared pursuant to section 6 of this act shall be eliminated.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. Beginning July 1, 1987, and ending April 1, 1991, the state treasurer shall, on a monthly basis, withdraw from general state revenues received by the state treasurer and deposit into the higher education competitive faculty salary account hereby created in the state treasury the amounts determined necessary by the office of financial management to accomplish the elimination of faculty salary disparities in accordance with the schedule provided in section 4 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. The office of financial management shall annually identify the faculty salary disparities for each Washington institution of higher education.

The office of financial management shall report these disparities no later than January 15, 1987, and no later than January 15 of each subsequent year through 1990. The office of financial management shall identify and report the level of appropriation necessary to eliminate the faculty salary disparities in accordance with the schedule provided in section 4 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. Each research institution and regional institution shall submit to the higher education coordinating board by March 15, 1987, and by March 15 of each subsequent year through 1990, a plan to distribute, solely on the basis of merit, the moneys provided by this chapter to its eligible faculty. Each plan shall be consistent with the role and mission of the institution and its colleges and schools, provide for the involvement of faculty in assessing merit, and be specific to each college and school within the institution. Evidence that documents faculty salary disparities by college and school and professorial rank shall be prepared to support and accompany each plan. For The Evergreen State College, the faculty disparities shall be identified using an appropriate proxy for professorial rank.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. The state board for community college education shall submit to the higher education coordinating board by March 15, 1987, and by March 15 of each subsequent year through 1990, a plan to distribute, solely on the basis of merit, the moneys provided by this chapter to its eligible faculty. The plan shall be consistent with the role and mission of the community college system and each individual community college, provide for faculty involvement in assessing merit, and be specific to each community college. Evidence that documents faculty salary disparities by college shall be prepared to support and accompany the plan.

Each community college district shall submit a plan to the state board for community college education to distribute the moneys provided by this chapter to its eligible faculty on the basis of documented objective merit procedures developed and adopted by each district with the participation of the district's faculty. Each plan shall be consistent with the role and mission of each college, provide for faculty involvement in assessing merit. Evidence that documents faculty salary disparities shall be prepared to support and accompany each plan.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. The higher education coordinating board shall review the plans submitted by the state board for community college education and each research institution and regional institution to certify whether each plan meets the requirements and intent of this chapter. By April 15, 1987, and by April 15 of each subsequent year through 1990, the higher education coordinating board shall approve only those plans that meet the requirements of this chapter.

On July 1, 1987, and on July 1 of each subsequent year through 1990, the office of financial management shall release that portion of the higher education competitive faculty salary account necessary to implement the distribution plans approved by the higher education coordinating board.

If any institution's distribution plan is not submitted to the higher education coordinating board by March 1 of any year, or if the institution's plan has not been approved by the higher education coordinating board by April 15 of that year, the office of financial management shall retain in the higher education competitive faculty salary account that portion the institution would have otherwise received.

By September 15, 1987, and by September 15 of each subsequent year through 1990, each institution and the state board for community college education shall report to the higher education coordinating board on how its respective plan was implemented. The report shall specify the salary adjustments received by the eligible faculty of each school and college and be detailed by department and professorial rank within each school and college.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. By November 15, 1987, and by November 15 of each subsequent year through 1990, the higher education coordinating board shall submit to the ways and means committees of the senate and the house of representatives a report documenting that the faculty salary adjustments at each Washington state institution of higher education are being implemented in conformance with the plans approved by the higher education coordinating board. The report shall specify the salary adjustments received at each institution and shall provide detail on the distribution of these adjustments by the schools and colleges at each institution, including the distributions to major instructional departments by professorial rank.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 11. This chapter shall be known as the higher education competitive faculty salary act of 1986.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 12. This chapter shall expire June 30, 1991.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 13. Sections 2 through 12 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 28B RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 14. This act shall take effect July 1, 1986.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 15. 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.