SENATE BILL REPORT

                            SB 5878

  AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION, MARCH 3, 1993

Brief Description:  Eliminating mandatory posttenure review for community college faculty.

SPONSORS: Senator Bauer

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5878 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass. 

     Signed by Senators Bauer, Chairman; Drew, Vice Chairman; Jesernig, Prince, Quigley, Sheldon, and von Reichbauer.

Staff:  Scott Huntley (786‑7421)

Hearing Dates: March 1, 1993; March 3, 1993

BACKGROUND:

In 1991 SSB 5456 was enacted, establishing a performance review of tenured faculty members in the community college system.  This statute requires that tenured faculty members receive such review from a committee of his or her peers at least once every 15 regular college quarters.  If the review is unsatisfactory, the tenured faculty member may be required to implement a professional improvement plan for a period of up to three regular college quarters.  If the faculty member's performance remains unsatisfactory following this period, tenure may be revoked and the faculty member will be returned to probationary status.

One section of the community college tenure statute contains references to "teaching faculty" serving on faculty tenure review committees.  The term "teaching faculty" may exclude librarians and counselors, who are faculty but not necessarily "teaching faculty," from serving on the tenure review committees.  The term "teaching faculty" is not used in other sections of the community college tenure statute.

SUMMARY:

The community college tenured faculty performance review and evaluation statute is repealed.

The term "teaching faculty" is changed to "faculty" for the composition of tenure review committees.

EFFECT OF PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE:

The community and technical college system is directed to establish a process for periodic post-tenure review of faculty through the local collective bargaining process.  An effective date of July 1, 1993 is added and a severability clause is added.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  requested February 23, 1993

TESTIMONY FOR:

The statutory post-tenure review process is cumbersome and difficult to administer.  Both labor and management believe that post-tenure review processes should be established by the collective bargaining process, not by law.  Librarians and counselors are faculty members and should not be excluded from tenure review committees.  This one section of the tenure statute is the only one that refers to teaching faculty only as members of these committees; this should be changed.

TESTIMONY AGAINST:  None

TESTIFIED:  Bob Fisher, WEA (pro); Christie Nelson, Everett Community College (pro); Dr. Jolene Ramaker, Washington Community College Counselors' Association (pro); Larry Laen, SBCTC (pro); Wendy Rader-Konofalski, WFT (pro)