HOUSE BILL REPORT
HB 1238
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 Reported by House Committee On:
Higher Education
Title: An act relating to creating new full-time tenure track positions at the state's four-year public institutions of higher education.
Brief Description: Creating new full-time tenure track positions at the state's four-year public institutions of higher education.
Sponsors: Representatives Pollet, Haler, Tarleton, Sells, Holy, Orwall, Bergquist, Frame, Fitzgibbon, Ormsby, Stanford and Farrell.
Brief History:
Committee Activity:
Higher Education: 1/24/17, 2/14/17 [DPS].
Brief Summary of Substitute Bill |
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION |
Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 5 members: Representatives Hansen, Chair; Pollet, Vice Chair; Holy, Ranking Minority Member; Sells and Tarleton.
Minority Report: Do not pass. Signed by 2 members: Representatives Van Werven, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Stambaugh.
Staff: Trudes Tango (786-7384).
Background:
Generally, a faculty member who has tenure may not have his or her position terminated or salary reduced, except for specific reasons. Typically, a faculty member is eligible for tenure if he or she has held full-time rank as an assistant professor for a certain amount of time and has met other criteria. Faculty members that typically do not acquire tenure are faculty such as teaching associates, visiting appointments, and adjunct appointments.
The regional universities and The Evergreen State College each have their own policies and procedures for granting faculty tenure. Those institutions use both full-time and part-time instructional faculty.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of full-time and part-time instructional faculty in 2015 were as follows:
Institution | Full-time | Part-time |
Western Washington | 598 | 330 |
Central Washington | 473 | 213 |
Eastern Washington | 478 | 271 |
Evergreen State College | 157 | 67 |
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Summary of Substitute Bill:
The Legislature declares that student completion and success may be improved by increasing the percentage of full-time tenure track faculty.
Subject to availability of amounts appropriated for this purpose, the faculty expansion program at the regional universities and The Evergreen State College is created. The stated purpose of the program is to encourage the institutions and the state college to increase the number of full-time tenure track positions on their campuses.
For every two full-time tenure track faculty positions an institution or the state college creates and fills or actively seeks to fill in the 2017-19 biennium, the program must provide $100,000 to that institution or the state college for the 2017-19 fiscal biennium and $100,000 for the 2019-21 fiscal biennium. The provided funds must be used solely to fund a third full-time tenure track faculty position. Each institution and the state college are eligible to receive up to $500,000 for each of the biennium to fund up to five program-funded positions.
An institution and the state college are eligible to receive these amounts only if the prerequisite full-time tenure track positions created are new, meaning the positions were not in existence before the fall of 2017 and are not positions that are vacant due to attrition or retirement.
Duties of the full-time tenure track faculty positions must include a full-time teaching load, advising, and curriculum development.
The act expires June 30, 2022, and contains a null and void clause.
Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:
The substitute bill removed the University of Washington and Washington State University from the provisions of the bill and added a null and void clause.
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Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date of Substitute Bill: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed. However, the bill is null and void unless funded in the budget.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony:
(In support) Research shows that students benefit from having full-time faculty. There is an over-reliance on nontenured faculty, which erodes the quality of education that students receive. Tenure ensures academic freedom and allows universities to be places where faculty could conduct their research freely. Nontenured faculty do not have the time and resources to invest in the students for mentoring and advising to the same degree as tenured faculty. Tenured faculty are valuable to the universities and often bring in grant funding.
(Opposed) None.
(Other) There should be opt out language in the bill for the state universities. The amount of funds under the bill is out of proportion. The decision to hire faculty is very significant and requiring two tenure track positions to gain the state funds under this bill for a third position would result in a deficit that the university cannot afford.
Persons Testifying: (In support) Representative Pollet, prime sponsor; Bill Lyne, United Faculty of Washington; Sare Singleton, Becca Kenna-Schenk and Nora Selander, Western Washington University; and Steven Hackenberger, Central Washington University.
(Other) Chris Mulik and Joan Wu, Washington State University; and JoAnn Taricani, University of Washington.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.