CPFA Sponsors AB 2277: Raising the Part-Time Faculty Workload Cap

AB 2277 will increase the maximum number of instructional hours that a part-time California Community College faculty member may teach at any one community college district and allow students to build stronger relationships with existing faculty.

The Problem

Currently, part-time faculty at California Community Colleges are classified as temporary employees and are capped at teaching 67% of a full-time faculty assignment per term. This limitation means many part-time faculty members teach at multiple community college districts, piecing together a full-time schedule and spending hours commuting, leaving limited time for engagement with students outside the classroom.  

Current Law

Defines “faculty” as employees of CCDs who are employed in academic positions that are not designated as supervisory or management, including but not limited to instructors, librarians, counselors, community college health services professionals, handicapped student programs and service professionals, and extended opportunity programs and service professionals (Education Code 9EC) Section 87003).

Existing law additionally establishes Legislative intent suggesting that the rights of part-time, temporary faculty shall be included as part of the usual and customary negotiations between the CCD and the exclusive representative for part-time, temporary faculty; defines any person who is employed to teach at a CCD for not more than 67% of a full-time assignment to be a part-time, temporary employee (EC Section 87482.5).

The Solution

AB 2277 will raise the workload cap for Part-Time faculty from 67% to 85%, allowing CCDs to provide more hours to part-time, temporary academic employees, allowing them greater opportunities to be a resource to their students and participate in the campus community. 

Both full-time and part-time faculty are critical in creating an environment that fosters student success. Increasing the hours that part-time faculty members are permitted to work will help ensure students have better access to their professors and will improve quality of life for part-time faculty.

AB 2277 will allow:

• CCDs to negotiate the standards and establish how best to implement the raised cap.
• CCDs to retain their right of assignments
• Part-time faculty to retain their right of first refusal.
• Existing part-time faculty within each discipline to teach any extra available courses without CCDs, especially those in the rural areas, having to conduct new job searches, particularly for STEM instructors which will reduce time and resources required to adve4rtise positions needed, conduct interviews, process new hires.

AB 2277 will NOT:

• Force any part-time faculty to work an 80-85% workload.
• Trigger the Affordable Care Act of 2010.
• Provide tenure and/or force districts to offer full-time tenure track positions when an 85% workload is offered.
• Change the course offerings at any Community College District. 

For More Information

Tags: AB 2277, legislation, part-time faculty, Workload Cap