BILL ANALYSIS
AB 492
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 492 (Conway)
As Amended May 7, 2009
Majority vote
HIGHER EDUCATION 5-0
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|Ayes:|Portantino, Conway, Cook, |
| |Galgiani, Huber |
| | |
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SUMMARY : Expands existing law to allow temporary clinical
nursing faculty at California Community Colleges (CCC) to teach
an unlimited number of semesters or quarters within any period
of three consecutive years until June 30, 2014; authorizes a CCC
district to employ temporary clinical nursing faculty even if
the hiring of such faculty results in an increase in the ratio
of part-time to full-time nursing faculty in that CCC district;
and makes various related findings and declarations.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Limits temporary clinical nursing faculty at CCC to teaching
four semesters or six quarters in any three-year period until
June 30, 2014. After June 30, 2014, temporary clinical
nursing faculty at CCC are limited to teaching two semesters
in any three-year period.
2)Prohibits a CCC district from hiring temporary clinical
nursing faculty if such hiring results in an increase in the
ratio of part-time to full-time nursing faculty in that CCC
district.
3)Requires the CCC Chancellor to report to the Legislature and
the Governor by September 30, 2012, regarding the number of
CCC districts that hired faculty pursuant to the
aforementioned law, and the ratio of full-time to part-time
faculty for these CCC districts.
4)Establishes legislative intent that at least 75% of the credit
hours taught at CCC districts be taught by full-time
instructors, requires CCC Board of Governors to adopt
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regulations to establish minimum standards regarding the
appropriate percentage of credit instruction that should be
taught by full-time instructors, and requires the CCC
Chancellor to calculate specified information relative to
credit instruction hours taught by part-time and full-time
faculty.
FISCAL EFFECT : None
COMMENTS : California shortage of nursing faculty: According to
the Board of Registered Nursing 2007-08 Annual School Report,
"expansion in Registered Nurse (RN) education has required
nursing programs to hire more faculty to teach the growing
number of students. Although the number of nursing faculty has
grown by 87.3% since 2000-2001, faculty hires have not kept pace
with the growth in California pre-licensure nursing programs.
In 2007-2008, 170 faculty vacancies were reported, representing
a faculty vacancy rate of 4.7%. Although this vacancy rate is
the lowest reported in four years, RN programs will not be able
to continue their expansion without more faculty."
CCC nursing education programs : According to the CCC
Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) Report on Nursing Education Programs
released in April of 2009, there are 74 CCC campuses currently
operating RN programs, enrolling a total of 13,047
full-time-equivalent students. Enrollments have increased by
about 48% over the last three to four years due to the
development of new programs, and expansion of enrollment
capacity through partnerships with the health care industry, and
federal and state funded programs and grants.
The numbers of temporary CCC nursing faculty has grown in recent
years, while at the same time the number of tenured/tenure track
faculty has remained relatively stagnant. According to
information provided by the CCCCO, in the fall term of 2002,
there were 571 (52.6%) tenured/tenure track faculty and 515
temporary nursing faculty. By the fall 2007 term, the number of
tenured/tenure track faculty had dropped to 552 (41.7%) while
the number of temporary nursing faculty grew to 772 (58.3%).
This growth in temporary nursing faculty can largely be
attributed to enrollment expansion efforts funded by grants.
Purpose of this bill : According to the author, California faces
"a dire nursing shortage and an aging population. A major
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contributor to the nursing shortage is the fact that our CCC
system, which educates 66% of RNs in California, places many
unnecessary restrictions on nursing faculty." The author
further argues "given that an RN can often earn a higher salary
in the medical field than as CCC faculty, many CCCs are finding
it harder to hire full-time nursing faculty than part-time
nursing faculty." The author also points to a Legislative
Analysts Office report that "there is no evidence that having a
ratio of full-time to part-time faculty and limiting the amount
of terms that a temporary faculty member can teach within a
three year period effects student outcomes." The author argues
that this bill grants much needed flexibility to CCC to hire
additional part-time clinical nursing faculty.
Appropriate timing of this bill : SB 1309 (Scott), Chapter 837,
Statutes of 2006, increased, until June 30, 2014, the number of
semesters in a three-year period, from two semesters to four
semesters, that temporary part-time clinical nursing faculty are
allowed to teach, provided that it does not result in an
increase in the ratio of part-time to full-time nursing faculty
in the CCC district. The CCC Chancellor is required to submit
to the Legislature by September 30, 2012, a report detailing the
numbers of faculty hired under this statute and the ratio of
full-time to part-time faculty in the CCC districts. CCC
districts are just ending the second full academic year under
these new provisions.
Related legislation : AB 1215 (De La Torre), pending on the
Assembly Floor, allows CCC to hire temporary part-time clinical
nursing faculty to teach up to 67%, rather than 60%, of the
hours per week that constitute a regular full-time faculty
assignment.
SB 182 (Ashburn), pending in the Senate Education Committee,
deletes the limitation that temporary clinical nursing faculty
be employed for not more than four semesters or six quarters
within a three-year period.
SB 1620 (Ashburn) of 2008, failed passage in the Assembly
Appropriations. SB 1620 would have allowed temporary clinical
nursing faculty at three CCC districts, as selected by the CCC
Chancellor, to teach an unlimited number of semesters between
July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2012.
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Analysis Prepared by : Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960 FN:
0000602