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

Brief Description: Providing for academic employee salary increments for community and technical colleges.

Sponsors: Representatives Kenney, Cox, Hasegawa, Hankins, Roberts, McIntire, Fromhold, Kilmer, Morrell, Rodne, Santos, Clibborn, Ormsby, O'Brien, Jarrett, Walsh, Conway, Wood, Kessler, Linville, Kagi, Appleton, Green, McCoy, Blake, Lantz, Sells, Campbell, P. Sullivan, Simpson, Schual-Berke, McDonald, Haigh, Dickerson, Moeller, Springer and Wallace.

Brief History:

Higher Education & Workforce Education: 1/20/06, 1/27/06 [DPS].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION & WORKFORCE EDUCATION

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 11 members: Representatives Kenney, Chair; Sells, Vice Chair; Cox, Ranking Minority Member; Rodne, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Buri, Dunn, Fromhold, Hasegawa, Ormsby, Roberts and Sommers.

Staff: Sarah Ream (786-7303).

Background:

Salary increments are pay increases based on years of service and, in some pay systems, additional education.

In some cases employees receive increments even if there is no state funding provided specifically for that purpose. For example, classified employees in the state personnel system receive 5 percent increments for each year of service (up to a cap), but the Legislature assumes that state agencies can pay the costs through savings from employee turnover or other resources.

Classified staff in the K-12 system receive increments based on local collective bargaining agreements, but the state funding formulas for K-12 are not adjusted based on these costs. School districts rely on turnover savings and other resources. Certificated instructional staff in the K-12 system receive increments based on years of service and education. In this case, the state funding formulas specifically recognize the costs school districts incur through the statewide salary schedule.

Salaries for faculty at community and technical colleges are also established through local collective bargaining agreements. Most salary schedules provide for increments based on some combination of years of service and education. However, state law limits salary increases provided through collective bargaining agreements to the amount or percentage established by the Legislature in the appropriations act and allocated to the board of trustees by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC). As a result, community and technical colleges may not use turnover savings or other resources to pay for faculty salary increases without a special authorization.

For at least the last 10 years, the Legislature provided funding for community and technical college faculty increments through provisions in the biennial budget. The budget bills have given special authorization to community and technical colleges to use turnover savings to help fund faculty increments.

Summary of Substitute Bill:

The Legislature intends that consistent and predictable state funding be provided for community and technical college academic employee salary increases. The biennial budget request of the SBCTC will be based on 0.8 percent of the academic employees' salary plus the value of associated benefits. The Legislature will appropriate a sufficient amount of funds to meet the SBCTC's request. The SBCTC will determine how to allocate to the community and technical colleges the appropriations granted for increments. How the appropriations are allocated at the district level is subject to collective bargaining.

Turnover-savings for full-time faculty are generated only when full-time faculty replace full-time faculty. Similarly, turnover-savings for part-time faculty are generated only when part-time faculty replace part-time faculty. Part-time turnover-savings may only be allocated to part-time faculty. Salary increments allocated due to part-time faculty salaries must be allocated to part-time faculty and may be used for part-time general salary increases.

The SBCTC will recommend to the Legislature by January 10, 2008 an allocation model for distribution of increments for experience, professional development and training.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:

Turnover savings for full-time faculty are generated only when full-time faculty replace full-time faculty. Similarly, turnover-savings for part-time faculty are generated only when part-time faculty replace part-time faculty. Part-time turnover-savings may only be allocated to part-time faculty. Salary increments allocated due to part-time faculty salaries must be allocated to part-time faculty and may be used for part-time general salary increases.

The SBCTC will recommend to the Legislature by January 10, 2008 an allocation model for distribution of increments for experience, professional development and training.

The Legislature must appropriate an amount each biennium to fund the projected state-funded costs of increments.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: (In support) This bill provides community and technical college faculty certainty and predictability regarding funding for salary increments. The formula puts a cap on the amount of the increments and also gives the Legislature certainty regarding the amount the SBCTC will request from the Legislature for increments. Other professionals, including K-12 faculty and faculty in other university systems, have predictable salary increments. Having to go back to the Legislature every year to ask for increments weakens faculty moral, hurts the trust between the college system and faculty, and is inefficient and uncertain. Having set increments acknowledges and rewards faculty for their service. Providing certain funding for increments will encourage current faculty to stay and will help recruit new faculty. Providing predictable increment funding is the moral and ethical thing to do.

(With concerns to original bill) This bill is a start, but it does not solve the problem entirely for part-time faculty. Ninety-five percent of the turnover savings money goes to full-time faculty. There needs to be a source of funding for both full- and part-time faculty.

Testimony Against: None.

Persons Testifying: (In support) Chris Reykdal, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges; John Michael Emerson, Highline Community College; Priscilla Bell, Highline Community College; Ruth Windhover and Mike Dodge, Washington Education Association; and Sandra Schroeder, Washington Federation of Teachers.

(With concerns to original bill) Keith Hoeller and Doug Collins, Washington Part-time Faculty Association.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.