SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 5534

                    As of February 21, 1997

Title:  An act relating to faculty salary increments for community and technical colleges.

Brief Description:  Providing a specific funding mechanism for making additional community and technical college faculty salary increment awards.

Sponsors:  Senators Wood, Kohl, Patterson, Spanel, Bauer, Prince, Hale, Winsley and Haugen.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Higher Education:  2/24/97.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Staff:  Jennifer Hanlon (786-7784)

Background:  Salary increments are pay increases which are based on years of service and, in some pay systems, educational attainment.  In the community college system, faculty salaries, including increments, are negotiated locally through collective bargaining. 

Historically, funding for community college increments has come out of legislatively appropriated salary increases.  In the 1991 session, community colleges received partial funding for increments through an appropriation of $1 million for the first year of the biennium, and were given flexibility to fund the remainder of the increment cost from authorized salary increases and salary turnover savings.  In the 1992 supplemental budget, community colleges received a further appropriation of $1.2 million for increments in the second year of the biennium.  Although the Legislature did not fund any of the increment cost in 1993, the 1994 supplemental budget funded $1.1 million for those faculty with salaries of less than $45,000.  The Legislature funded increments in the 1995-1997 biennium at $4.2 million.

Summary of Bill:  Trustees award increments based on local agreements and each biennium, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) must submit in its budget request an amount sufficient to cover the cost of the increments.

It is the intent of the Legislature that increments are funded by appropriation, but do not exceed one and one-half percent of the faculty salary base.

The SBCTC must distribute the funds in a fair and equitable manner and the SBCTC must recognize turnover savings when distributing funds.  The SBCTC must convene a task force to advise the board on the fair and equitable distribution of increment funds.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.