SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 5088
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent. |
As of February 17, 2009
Title: An act relating to adjunct faculty salaries.
Brief Description: Regarding salaries for adjunct faculty.
Sponsors: Senator Jacobsen.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Higher Education & Workforce Development: 2/17/09.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT |
Staff: Aldo Melchiori (786-7439)
Background: The average faculty salaries at Washington's public four-year institutions are generally below the average salaries of their established peer groups, ranging from $58,000 at The Evergreen State College to $92,500 at the University of Washington (UW). Only the UW has faculty salaries that rank above those of their peer institutions. These averages reflect full-time faculty whose major assignment was instruction or instruction combined with research and/or public service. The average salary for full-time faculty at Washington community and technical colleges is $50,800.
At community and technical colleges, over the last five biennia, average part-time faculty salaries grew 43 percent, reaching approximately 58 percent of full-time faculty salaries. In the fall of 2007, part-time faculty comprised 63 percent of the faculty at public two-year institutions and 19 percent of the faculty at public four-year institutions. These are institutional averages; they do not indicate percentages on the department level.
Summary of Bill: Each public institution of higher education must determine a salary standard for adjunct faculty, in each department, that constitutes a pro-rata salary when compared to full-time tenured faculty doing comparable work. By December 2009, each institution must determine the method for making these determinations and create a plan of equitably increasing individual salaries.
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: Part-time faculty operate the second financial aid system in the state through their low wages. There have been some increases in salaries, but they have not been enough to close the gap. Budgets should not be balanced on the backs of part-time faculty.
OTHER: The bill just calls for planning, but will colleges then be required to increase salaries? This will not result in equal pay to part-time faculty. Part-time faculty should be paid pro-rata on a teaching schedule, not using the comparable worth analysis.
Persons Testifying: PRO: Senator Jacobsen, prime sponsor; Sandra Schroeder, President, American Federation of Teachers–Washington.
OTHER: John Boesenberg, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges; Keith Hoeller, American Association of University Professors.