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Legislative efforts make key gains for community college faculty
Advocates convince governor to restore $32 million
By Len Feldman
Editor, Politics and Legislation
With strokes of his pen, Gov. Gray Davis approved key CCA/CTA-sponsored or supported legislation that will boost funding for the community colleges and improve retirement benefits.
The actions came at the urging of a coalition of cosponsoring organizations as Gov. Davis rushed to complete his work prior to an October 14 deadline. By that time, the governor had to sign or veto hundreds of measures sent to him during the last days of the 2001 legislative year.
Restores funding to colleges
Despite a rapidly softening state economy, the governor signed a bill cosponsored by CCA/CTA, the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, (FACCC), and the Community College Council/CFT that will give the community colleges an additional $32 million for instructional materials and campus maintenance. By signing this measure, the governor restored some community college funding that had been deleted from the state budget.
 Part-timers stage Campus Equity Week
Part-time faculty in the California Community College system joined their counterparts around the country and in Canada for Campus Equity Week during the last week of October in their campaign for better pay and working conditions. Among the CCA activists involved in the event was Judith Mandel, part-time French instructor at College of the Desert and CCA Board Member. Mandel (in rose sweater) is shown here surrounded by faculty and students at a literature table at College of the Desert.
Two other key measures signed by the governor are also targeted at the state's beleaguered community colleges:
AB 647 (Horton, D-Inglewood), another CCA/CTA-sponsored measure, extends the state's whistleblower protection statutes to faculty at the state's community colleges. This measure will give added protections to instructors who go to authorities to report administrative malfeasance or illegal actions.
AB 1241 (Pacheco, R-Walnut) is the CCA/CTA-sponsored measure that authorizes a study about the creation of a pre-education program for community college students who wish to become teachers.
Also at CCA/CTA's urging, the governor signed AB 1245 (Alquist, D-Santa Clara), a CCA/CTA-sponsored bill that requires community college districts to bargain reappointment rights for part-time instructors.
The governor also signed a CTA-backed measure designed to help students attend a community college or other state institution of higher learning. AB 540 (Firebaugh, D-East Los Angeles), a CTA-supported bill, allows specified high school graduates to qualify for resident tuition when attending a community college or campus of the California State University or University of California.
Focus on retirement legislation
The governor's signature on CTA-sponsored AB 135, by Assembly Member Sally Havice (D-Norwalk), represents another major victory for current and future retirees.
AB 135 is a purchasing power guarantee measure that will help protect teacher retirees against the ravages of inflation. The measure will guarantee that pensions paid to teachers would always maintain at least 80 percent of their original value in inflation-adjusted dollars. Under current law, the minimum value is 75 percent.
Approximately 60,000 of the state's most senior teacher retirees have pensions that reportedly average just $13,000. The funding for the benefit improvement will come from revenues from a special dedicated fund within the State Teachers' Retirement System (STRS).
AB 135 is just one of several measures the governor signed aimed at supporting retired teachers.
AJR 3 (Leonard, R-Rancho Cucamonga), a Social Security Joint Resolution, is a CTA-cosponsored measure that urges Congress to repeal the Social Security Offset and Windfall Elimination Provisions. These provisions of federal law can reduce the Social Security payments to teachers for Social-Security benefits they or their spouses earned in non-teaching employment.
SB 165 (O'Connell, D-San Luis Obispo), relates to PERS membership election. This CTA-cosponsored measure will allow government employees who become teachers to remain in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) if they so choose. It is aimed at helping attract non-teaching public employees into the teaching ranks. |
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