BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 950
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Date of Hearing: April 17, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 950 (Chau) - As Introduced: February 22, 2013
Policy Committee: Higher EdVote:8-4
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: Yes
SUMMARY
This bill places a cap on full-time faculty workload at the
California Community Colleges (CCC). Specifically, this bill:
1)Prohibits a full-time faculty member, after January 1, 2014,
from being assigned a workload with an overload or extra
assignments exceeding 50% of the full-time semester or quarter
workload (excluding summer terms).
2)Stipulates that the above requirement does not supersede a
more stringent overload cap pursuant to a collective
bargaining agreement.
3)Stipulates that for districts with a collective bargaining
agreement that prohibits more than a 50% overload for
full-time faculty, the requirement in (1) would become
operative on January 1, 2015.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)One-time minor reimbursable cost, likely less than $50,000
statewide, for districts or colleges with a policy or
bargaining agreement allowing overload exceeded 50% to conform
to the statutory cap.
2)Potential minor savings to the extent part-time faculty teach
courses that otherwise would be taught by full-time faculty
with an overload exceeding 50%. According to the CCC
Chancellor's Office Report on Staffing for Fall 2010, the
average rate for overload instruction was $68.36 hourly, while
the average hourly salary for part-time/temporary was $66.58.
AB 950
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These savings could be partially offset to the extent some
part-time faculty members teaching loads increase such that
they would become eligible for benefits.
COMMENTS
1)Background . The term "overload assignments" refers to the
practice of full-time faculty electing to teach additional
courses, with additional pay, beyond their normal full-time
teaching load. Many colleges and universities have established
policies regarding overload assignments. These policies appear
to vary significantly among colleges and departments but are
generally designed to ensure that the instruction, research,
and service obligations of faculty are not compromised by the
acceptance of overload assignments. Some colleges require
individual assignments to be approved by department deans
while others have negotiated district-wide caps that range
from one course to 67% of a full-time load. This bill,
sponsored by the California Federation of Teachers (CFT),
establishes a statewide limit of faculty overload assignments
to 50% of a full-time workload.
2)Purpose . According to the author, AB 950 will improve
conditions for both faculty members and students by placing a
reasonable workload cap for full-time CCC faculty. The author
contends that this measure provides an opportunity to both
improve the quality of education and address a barrier to
full-time faculty positions at the CCC.
3)Is This Bill Necessary ? Some, but not most, districts allow
more than 50% overload. In a recent survey done by the CCC
Chancellor's Office, 13 of 44 responding colleges indicated
that they have a policy or bargaining agreement allowing more
than 50% overload. (Several colleges have no policy on
overload.) Nevertheless, cases of full-time faculty taking
advantage of such policies appear to be limited. According to
the Chancellor's Office, for the Fall 2011 semester, of 14,489
tenured or tenured track faculty teaching CCC classes, 6,102
had overload assignments, but only 172 (1.2%) had an overload
exceeding 50%. (The Los Angeles CCD, which encompasses about
8% of statewide CCC enrollment, is not yet included in this
data.)
Given the data above, and the hardships that might result for
small districts or unique programs with limited staffing
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flexibility, it is unclear what benefit a rigid statewide
policy on overload provides to the community college system.
4)Prior Legislation . In 2012, AB 1826 (Hern�ndez), an identical
bill, was held on Suspense in Senate Appropriations.
In 2012, AB 383 (Portantino), which proposed a one-time
stipend to a CCC district entering into a collective
bargaining agreement prohibiting more than a 50% overload,
failed passage in the Assembly Higher Education Committee.
Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081