SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6405

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.

As Reported by Senate Committee On:

Higher Education & Workforce Development, January 23, 2020

Ways & Means, February 11, 2020

Title: An act relating to supporting student success at community and technical colleges by increasing full-time faculty and stabilizing the use of part-time faculty.

Brief Description: Supporting student success at community and technical colleges by increasing full-time faculty and stabilizing the use of part-time faculty.

Sponsors: Senators Stanford, Liias, Wilson, C., Hasegawa, Hunt, Nguyen, Randall, Frockt and Saldaña.

Committee Activity: Higher Education & Workforce Development: 1/21/20, 1/23/20 [DP-WM, w/oRec].

Ways & Means: 2/10/20, 2/11/20 [DPS, DNP, w/oRec].

Brief Summary of First Substitute Bill

Subject to amounts appropriated, requires the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges to study the ratio of part-time to full-time academic employees by discipline at each community and technical college and make recommendations for creating more full-time employment positions.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Majority Report: Do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

Signed by Senators Randall, Chair; Stanford, Vice Chair; Liias.

Minority Report: That it be referred without recommendation.

Signed by Senators Holy, Ranking Member; Brown.

Staff: Kellee Gunn (786-7429)

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6405 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

Signed by Senators Rolfes, Chair; Frockt, Vice Chair, Operating, Capital Lead; Billig, Carlyle, Conway, Darneille, Dhingra, Hasegawa, Hunt, Keiser, Liias, Pedersen and Van De Wege.

Minority Report: Do not pass.

Signed by Senators Honeyford, Assistant Ranking Member, Capital; Becker, Muzzall, Rivers, Wagoner and Wilson, L..

Minority Report: That it be referred without recommendation.

Signed by Senators Mullet, Capital Budget Cabinet; Brown, Assistant Ranking Member, Operating; Schoesler and Warnick.

Staff: Michele Alishahi (786-7433)

Background: The Community and Technical College System. The Community and Technical College (CTC) system consists of 34 college districts, led by respective college presidents, under the governance of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC). Each college district enters into their own collective bargaining agreement with faculty. Under state law, certain part-time faculty may collectively bargain with full-time faculty.

Adjunct Faculty Employment Best Practices. Since 1997, the SBCTC has worked with faculty, faculty union representatives, and college administrators on best practice principles related to the issue of part-time faculty employment. The most recent of these best practices was published in March 2019, with the purpose of drafting collective bargaining language reflecting the best practice principles that local bargainers may use in their negotiations.

Summary of Bill (First Substitute): Subject to amounts appropriated, the SBCTC is required to study the ratio of part-time to full-time academic employees by discipline at each CTC and make recommendations for creating more full-time employment positions.

Each CTC district is required to develop a plan to reduce reliance on part-time academic employees through conversion of positions to full-time status, salary improvements, and other remedies deemed appropriate given labor market conditions and education programs offered and provide the plan to the SBCTC.

The SBCTC is required to work with academic employee collective bargaining representatives to develop a report on the study with recommendations for improving the ration of part-time to full-time academic employees.

The report is to be submitted to the fiscal and higher education committees by December 31, 2020.

EFFECT OF CHANGES MADE BY WAYS & MEANS COMMITTEE (First Substitute):

Removes the requirement that the SBCTC is to create a plan resulting in 70 percent of faculty employed in the CTC system be full-time tenured or tenure track positions by the end of the 2027-28 school year.
Removes the emergency clause.
Requires SBCTC, subject to amounts appropriated, to study the ratio of part-time to full-time academic employees by discipline at each CTC and make recommendations for creating more full-time employment positions.
Requires each CTC district to develop a plan to reduce reliance on part-time academic employees through conversion of positions to full-time status, salary improvements, and other remedies deemed appropriate given labor market conditions and education programs offered and provide the plan to the SBCTC.
Requires SBCTC to work with academic employee collective bargaining representatives to develop and submit a report on the study with recommendations for improving the ratio of part-time to full-time academic employees to the fiscal and higher education committees by December 31, 2020.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.

Effective Date: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony on Original Bill (Higher Education & Workforce Development): PRO: Our CTC system relies increasingly on part-time faculty. We need to pay attention to the workforce we rely on for the CTCs. Part-time faculty receive lower pay and benefits than their full-time counterparts. They must deal with long commutes, and instability. This reduces time that the part-time faculty can commit to their students. This bill is the beginning of a process. With the major investment by the Legislature of the Washington college grant, more students will become full-time students. We can directly help these students' outcomes by investing in a full-time faculty. Part-time faculty cannot currently be fully involved in their campus community at the detriment of students. Throughout the years I have seen textbooks increase in price. As full-time faculty, I was able to adapt course and create materials for my students that would not have been possible if I was part-time faculty. More tenured faculty would be able to try different methods of improving student learning. Part-time faculty are usually not scheduled or paid to provide after class hours for students. Many part-time faculty must leave immediately after class to get to their next teaching engagement. All faculty must be engaged in this initiative. Part-time employment deprives all faculty from meeting the needs of students.

OTHER: Our primary concern is funding. There are others concerns with the statewide percentage required of CTC faculty be be full-time. This bill requires 70 percent of the people, not instructors, to be full time. A little over 100 full time faculty is estimated to cost about $10 million per biennium. And there is also a concern regarding statewide standards for equal pay for equal work. The collective bargaining process, at the local level, is the best place to determine equal pay for equal work.

Persons Testifying (Higher Education & Workforce Development): PRO: Senator Derek Stanford, Prime Sponsor; Carolyn Brotherton, AFT Washington; Jacqui Cain, Pierce College faculty, AFT Local 4821; Mark Gorecki, Centralia College faculty, AFT; Tobi Rosenberg, Bellevue College faculty, WEA. OTHER: John Boesenberg, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying (Higher Education & Workforce Development): No one.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony on Original Bill (Ways & Means): The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard. PRO: Last year, the Legislature made major investments in higher education. Currently 70 percent of teachers at the CTCs are adjunct. This bill will lead to a more stable workforce which will ensure student success. More student facetime with faculty will translate to better student success. It will also be easier to recruit full-time faculty at the CTCs. It is important to get more people out of the CTC system and graduate. Currently, the CTCs have a 60 percent drop out rate and a 40 percent graduation rate. There is a link between the dropout rate and the adjunct rate at the CTCs. Students will not succeed in the current system.

CON: We support the policy goals of the bill, but we have concerns about the approach. Seventy percent is a one-size fits all approach that undermines the local collective bargaining process for each CTC. The plan also does not provide funding or specify that funding is contingent as the bill is implemented. We do not need more full-time faculty. We need to treat part-time faculty better. The bill enshrines the full-time/part-time system. For every full-time faculty added, two to three part-time faculty will lose their jobs.

Persons Testifying (Ways & Means): PRO: William Daley, Board Member, Alliance for a Just Society; Carolyn Brotherton, AFT Washington. CON: John Boesenberg, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges; Keith Hoeller, Washington Part-Time Faculty Association.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying (Ways & Means): No one.