H-1591.2  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 2089

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Representatives Kenney, Cox, Gombosky, Skinner, Keiser, Fromhold, Jarrett, Quall, Campbell, Conway, Santos, Hurst and Schual‑Berke

Read first time 02/14/2001.  Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

Implementing provisions for part-time faculty at community and technical colleges.

    AN ACT Relating to part-time faculty at community and technical colleges; adding a new section to chapter 28B.50 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The state of Washington desires a skilled, dedicated, and well-trained work force for the community and technical college system.  The legislature finds that community and technical colleges offer exceptional, cost-effective instructional programs to the citizens of the state.

    The legislature finds that part-time faculty at the community and technical colleges have an essential role in providing students with a  quality and affordable education.  Stagnated salaries and lack of career advancement opportunities within the community college system are obstacles to part-time faculty.  Low salaries also create a perception of unfairness.  The legislature further finds that part-time faculty members make major contributions to student learning, program excellence, and to furthering the community and technical college mission.

    Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature that part-time faculty employed in community and technical colleges receive fair compensation and employment opportunities.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 28B.50 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) To the extent funds are available, part-time faculty of community and technical colleges shall receive proportional pay distributed in equal amounts on a yearly basis until 2010 or until proportional pay has been achieved.

    (2) Colleges, where possible, shall increase the number of full-time faculty positions based on the current workloads of their respective part-time faculty.

    (3) Colleges shall notify part-time faculty of full-time, tenured vacancies.  Current part-time teaching faculty who meet the minimum qualifications and who apply for a tenure-track vacancy shall be considered.

    (4) Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section.

    (a) "Proportional pay" means payment at a rate based on calculating the hours worked by part-time academic employees as a percentage of the part-time academic workload to the full-time academic workload in a given discipline in a given institution.

    (b) "Part-time faculty" means nontenured instructors employed by community and technical college districts for any percentage of a full-time academic workload.

    (c) "Full-time academic workload" means the number of in-class teaching hours that a full-time instructor must teach to fulfill his or her employment obligations in a given discipline in a given college.

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