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

Sponsors: Representatives Kenney, Roberts, Wallace, Hasegawa, Jarrett, Seaquist, Green, Upthegrove, Appleton, Ormsby, Quall, P. Sullivan, Chase, Conway and Simpson; by request of State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

Hearing Date: 1/29/07

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). 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 boards 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 ten 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 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 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 December 1, 2008 an allocation model for distribution of compensation for state-funded academic employees that includes recognition of experience, professional development, and training.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Requested on January 18, 2007.

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