Brief Description: Providing for a review and update of the best practices audit of compensation and employment for part-time faculty in technical and community colleges.

Sponsors: Senators Kohl-Welles, Schmidt, Jacobsen, Keiser, Rockefeller, Franklin, Shin, Spanel, McAuliffe and Kline.

Hearing Date: 3/17/05

Staff: Barbara McLain (786-7383).

Background:

In 1996, the Legislature directed the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) to convene a task force to conduct a best practices audit of compensation and employment conditions for part-time faculty. The task force was expected to include part-time and full-time faculty, and members of college governing boards and the SBCTC.

Later that year, the Best Practices Task Force made a series of recommendations on such issues as salary disparities, health and retirement benefits, part-time versus full-time staffing ratios, workload definitions, and working conditions. The report was required to include best practices principles for colleges to follow in their employment of part-time faculty. The SBCTC was expected to encourage, and to the extent possible require, local governing boards to adopt the principles. The SBCTC was also required to use the principles in its development of the 1997-99 biennial budget request.

Summary of Bill:

The SBCTC must convene a review and update of the 1996 best practices audit of compensation and employment conditions for part-time faculty. College administrators are added to the list of task force members. The task force must report its findings to the SBCTC by December 1, 2005. The SBCTC must use the best practices principles identified in the audit in the development of each biennial operating budget request, and must also encourage, and to the extent possible require, local governing boards to revise the best practices principles.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

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