Assembly Member Mike Fong introduced a two-year bill, AB 1028 (sponsored by CFT), in February, and CPFA welcomes his support for community college part-time faculty. By submitting this bill, Fong helps maintain focus on our dire circumstances in Sacramento. His effort is another example of educating legislators about the urgent need for legislative solutions to address the challenges faced by the majority of instructors, who are often marginalized by the working conditions we are all too familiar with.
Last fall, CPFA sponsored AB 2277 (authored by Greg Wallis) to raise the workload cap from 67% to 85%. The bill garnered near-unanimous support from legislators, but it was ultimately vetoed by Governor Newsom. While this setback was disappointing, it represents another attempt—following two previous efforts—to keep our issues at the forefront in Sacramento. Below is a letter of support for this bill, along with a brief constructive analysis that we provided. We welcomed the opportunity to weigh in on this important legislation.
The Honorable Assembly Member Mike Fong
Capitol Office, 1021 O Street, Suite 5650
Sacramento, CA 95814
April 10, 2025
RE: AB 1028: Identifying Potential Contradictions and Consequences in Your Proposal to Advance Part-Time Faculty (PT) into Tenure-Track (TT) Positions
Dear Assembly Member Fong,
As Chair of the California Part-time Faculty Association (CPFA), I want to express our sincere gratitude for your proposed legislation. Your bill represents a commendable effort to support California community college faculty and increase tenure density. However, I am writing to bring to your attention a critical issue: the proposal to advance part-time faculty into tenure-track positions may conflict with existing laws and could result in significant unintended consequences.
Under current regulations, only full-time (FT) faculty are eligible for tenure. This creates a potential contradiction with the intent of your bill, unless it is assumed that all PT faculty be required to transition into FT roles. If this is indeed the case, such a transition could lead to several challenges:
- Decreased Opportunities for Remaining PT: With each PT faculty member transitioning to a FT position, fewer courses would remain available for other PT faculty, potentially resulting in job losses and reduced teaching opportunities.
- PT Faculty Who Do Not Desire to Become FT: Some PT faculty hold industry jobs outside academia and only wish to teach part-time. Others have personal obligations that preclude full-time employment. These faculty would be forced out of their jobs if the only option is to transition to FT.
- Long-serving PT Faculty Need to Be Protected: PT faculty have been essential to the success of California’s Community Colleges. They must be recognized for their sustained contributions through fair compensation and equitable treatment. Any proposed legislation should include retroactive protections for long-serving PT faculty to ensure they are not penalized for systemic issues beyond their control.
- Potential for Unintended Workforce Instability: This shift could destabilize the community college teaching workforce, which relies heavily on PT faculty to sustain the diverse and adaptive educational services required by students.
CPFA proposes that the bill address these challenges by incorporating measures to ensure that PT faculty can achieve tenure without being forced to transition to FT positions, with provisions that provide the ability to increase their teaching load over time, should they so choose. Alternatively, clear pathways and protections for PT faculty should be established to maintain their essential contributions to California’s community colleges.
By acknowledging these potential conflicts and safeguarding the flexibility and equity within the system, your proposal could better serve the faculty workforce and the students who rely on them. We appreciate your attention to these concerns and would be glad to provide additional input or collaborate further on these matters.
Thank you for your leadership and commitment to addressing these vital issues in higher education.
Sincerely,
| John Martin, Chair jmartin@cpfa.org / 530.591.2292 | Daniel R. Thompson, Legislative Analystdthompson@cpfa.org |