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: Senators Kohl-Welles, Shin, Kilmer, Clements, Benton, Franklin, McAuliffe and Rasmussen; by request of State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Higher Education: 2/12/07, 2/23/07 [DP-WM, DNP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Majority Report: Do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.Signed by Senators Shin, Chair; Kilmer, Vice Chair; Berkey and Schoesler.

Minority Report: Do not pass.Signed by Senator Delvin, Ranking Minority Member.

Staff: Aldo Melchiori (786-7439)

Background: Salary increments are increases in pay for faculty who upgrade their skills and experiences. Increment funding is not automatic. Salary increments are available only if funding is provided in the budget.

Currently, each fiscal year, each college district receives a cost-of-living allocation sufficient to increase community and technical college academic employee salaries, including mandatory salary-related benefits, by the rate of the yearly increase in the cost-of-living index. Beginning with the 2001-2002 fiscal year, and for each subsequent fiscal year except for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 fiscal years, the state fully funds the cost-of-living increases.

Community and technical college districts distribute their cost-of-living allocation for salaries and salary-related benefits in accordance with the district's salary schedules, collective bargaining agreements, and other compensation policies. At the end of each fiscal year, each college district certifies to the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) that it has spent funds provided for cost-of-living increases on salaries and salary-related benefits. The SBCTC includes any funded cost-of-living increase in the salary base used to determine cost-of-living increases for academic employees in subsequent years.

Summary of Bill: As a part of its biennial budget request, the SBCTC must request funds which, together with academic turnover savings, are sufficient to fund state-funded cost increments for the community and technical college system. The basis for the request must be eight-tenths of one percent of the academic employee's salary base plus the value of any associated benefits. Allocation of funds appropriated for this purpose are made using a method determined by the SBCTC, but any appropriation generated from the proportionate share of the part-time salary base or part-time faculty turnover savings is accessible only for part-time faculty. Boards of trustees of community colleges award employee salary increments based on local collective bargaining agreements. Funds allocated by the SBCTC to local boards of trustees for part-time faculty may be used for general salary increases for part-time faculty.

Boards of trustees may combine the allocated employee salary increment funds with cost of living salary adjustments. To the extent that cost of living adjustment funding is used to pay academic employee increments, the cost of living adjustment is reduced by the same amount.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

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

Staff Summary of Public Testimony: PRO: Salary increments need to be consistently and predictably funded. This will help us retain quality faculty. The State Board of Community and Technical Colleges will not have to come to the Legislature every two years for funding. We need this type of stability to recruit and retain faculty. Salary increments play an important part in motivating faculty to seek professional development opportunities.

CON: Part-time faculty will not receive equal increments. Because there are many more part-time faculty in community colleges, the money will be split over a larger group and each part-time faculty will receive a lower salary increment. It does nothing to fund equal pay for equal work. Historically, faculty salary increments have disproportionately been given to full-time faculty.

Persons Testifying: PRO: Senator Kohl-Welles, prime sponsor; Sandra Schroeder, American Federation of Teachers, Washington; Ruth Wendhoner, Washington Education Association (WEA); John Boesenberg, SBCTC; Dick Wadley, South Puget Sound Community College; Marc Gaspard, Pierce College; Louis Watanabe, WEA/Bellevue Community College Association of Higher Education.

CON: Keith Hoeller, Washington Part-time Faculty Association; Doug Collins, Washington Part-time Faculty Association; Dana Rush, American Association of University Professors/Green River Community College.