AN ACT Relating to the community college exceptional faculty awards program; adding a new section to chapter 28B.52 RCW; and adding new sections to chapter 28B.50 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature recognizes that quality in the state's community colleges would be strengthened by additional partnerships between citizens and the institutions. The legislature intends to foster these partnerships by creating a matching grant program to assist public community colleges in creating endowments for funding exceptional faculty awards.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) The Washington community college exceptional faculty awards program is established. The program shall be administered by the state board for community college education. The community college faculty awards trust fund hereby created shall be administered by the state treasurer.

(2) Funds appropriated by the legislature for the community college exceptional faculty awards program shall be deposited in the community college faculty awards trust fund. All moneys deposited in the fund shall be invested by the state treasurer. Notwithstanding RCW 43.84.090, all earnings of investments of balances in the fund shall be credited to the fund. At the request of the state board for community college education, the treasurer shall release the state matching funds to the designated institution's local endowment fund. No appropriation is necessary for the expenditure of moneys from the fund.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) In consultation with eligible community colleges, the state board for community college education shall set priorities and guidelines for the program.

(2) Under this section, a community college shall not receive more than four faculty grants in twenty-five thousand dollar increments, with a maximum total of one hundred thousand dollars per campus in any biennium.

(3) All community colleges shall be eligible for matching trust funds. Institutions may apply to the state board for community college education for grants from the fund in twenty-five thousand dollar increments up to a maximum of one hundred thousand dollars when they can match the state funds with equal cash donations from private sources, except that in the initial year of the program, no college may receive more than one grant until every college has received one grant. These donations shall be made specifically to the exceptional faculty awards program and deposited by the institution in a local endowment fund. Otherwise unrestricted gifts may be deposited in the endowment fund by the institution.

(4) Once sufficient private donations are received by the institution, the institution shall inform the state board for community college education and request state matching funds. The state board for community college education shall evaluate the request for state matching funds based on program priorities and guidelines. The state board for community college education may ask the state treasurer to release the state matching funds to a local endowment fund established by the institution for each faculty award created.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. (1) The faculty awards are the property of the institution and may be named in honor of a donor, benefactor, or honoree of the institution, at the option of the institution. The institution shall designate the use of the award. The designation shall be made or renewed annually.

(2) The institution is responsible for soliciting private donations, investing and maintaining its endowment funds, administering the faculty awards, and reporting on the program to the governor, the state board for community college education, and the legislature, upon request. The institution may augment its endowment fund with additional unrestricted private donations. The principal of the invested endowment fund shall not be invaded.

(3) The proceeds from the endowment fund shall be used to pay expenses for faculty awards, which may include in-service training, temporary substitute or replacement costs directly associated with faculty development programs, conferences, travel, publication and dissemination of exemplary projects; to supplement the salary of the holder or holders of a faculty award; or to pay expenses associated with the holder's program area. Funds from this program shall not be used to supplant existing faculty development funds.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The process for determining local awards shall be subject to collective bargaining. Decisions regarding the amounts of individual awards and who receives them shall not be subject to collective bargaining and shall be subject to approval of the applicable community college board of trustees.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. A new section is added to chapter 28B.52 RCW to read as follows:

With respect to the community college faculty awards trust program, the permissible scope of collective bargaining under this chapter shall be governed by section 5 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. Sections 1 through 5 of this act are each added to chapter 28B.50 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.