A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to implement A PLAN FOR MOVING FACULTY AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF SALARIES IN THE NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM TO THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
Whereas, for a new economy to emerge and be sustained in North Carolina, the State must have competent and skilled workers who are educated and supported by high quality, well‑credentialed, and responsive community college faculty and professional staff; and
Whereas, there is a direct link between the success of adults in learning to think critically, solve problems, and be productive employees, and the quality of instruction, counseling, and placement support they receive at an institution of the North Carolina Community College System; and
Whereas, over the past two fiscal years, the North Carolina Community College System has enrolled record numbers of displaced workers, transitional workers, and persons entering postsecondary school for the first time in many years, all of whom require intensive instructional and support services; and
Whereas, according to the Southern Regional Educational Board (SREB), the average salary of the faculty of the North Carolina Community College System is approximately 77% of the national average salary of full‑time instructional faculty of public two‑year colleges; and
Whereas, full‑time faculty rank sixteenth of the sixteen SREB states in average salary; and
Whereas, the average salary of professional staff in the North Carolina Community College System is approximately 77% of the national average salary of full‑time professional staff; and
Whereas, it is imperative that the State move community college faculty and professional staff salaries to the national average; and
Whereas, this may be accomplished by implementation of a five‑year plan that includes annual incremental increases in community college faculty and professional staff salaries; and
Whereas, in the event that fiscal conditions do not permit the full implementation of the planned annual increment in a fiscal year, the remainder of that increment may be included in a subsequent year appropriation; and
Whereas, the estimated annual incremental costs are $33,289,371 for the 2004‑2005 fiscal year, $21,092,066 for the 2005‑2006 fiscal year, $21,574,503 for the 2006‑2007 fiscal year, $22,095,532 for the 2007‑2008 fiscal year, and $12,427,531 for the 2008‑2009 fiscal year; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  It is the intent of the General Assembly to establish a community college faculty salary plan that (i) provides accountability to the General Assembly, (ii) maintains local flexibility and autonomy for the community colleges, and (iii) ensures that community college faculty members have a uniform minimum salary based on level of education, equivalent applicable experience, or both.
SECTION 2.  The minimum salaries for community college faculty shall be based on the following education levels:
 (1)	Vocational Diploma/Certificate or Less. – This education level includes faculty members who are high school graduates, have vocational diplomas, or have completed one year of college.
(2)	Associates Degree or Equivalent. – This education level includes faculty members who have an associates degree or have completed two or more years of college but have no degree.
(3)	Bachelors Degree.
(4)	Masters Degree or Education Specialist.
(5)	Doctoral Degree.
SECTION 3.  For the 2004‑2005 school year, the minimum salaries for nine‑month, full‑time, curriculum community college faculty shall be as follows:
                Education Level                                                 Minimum Salary
     Vocational Diploma/Certificate or Less               $26,973
     Associates Degree or Equivalent                          $27,369
     Bachelors Degree                                                  $29,232 
     Masters Degree or Education Specialist               $30,861
     Doctoral Degree                                                    $33,210.
No full‑time faculty member shall earn less than the minimum salary for his or her education level.
The pro rata hourly rate of the minimum salary for each education level shall be used to determine the minimum salary for part‑time faculty members.
SECTION 4.(a)  It is the intent of the General Assembly to encourage community colleges to make faculty salaries their highest priority and to reward colleges that have taken steps to achieve the national average, therefore:
(1)	If the average faculty salary at a community college is one hundred percent (100%) or more of the national average community college faculty salary, the college may transfer up to ten percent (10%) of the State funds allocated to it for faculty salaries.
(2)	If the average faculty salary at a community college is at least ninety-five percent (95%) but less than one hundred percent (100%) of the national average community college faculty salary, the college may transfer up to eight percent (8%) of the State funds allocated to it for faculty salaries.
(3)	If the average faculty salary at a community college is at least ninety (90%) but less than ninety-five percent (95%) of the national average community college faculty salary, the college may transfer up to six percent (6%) of the State funds allocated to it for faculty salaries.
(4)	If the average faculty salary at a community college is at least eighty-five percent (85%) but less than ninety percent (90%) of the national average community college faculty salary, the college may transfer up to four percent (4%) of the State funds allocated to it for faculty salaries.
(5)	If the average faculty salary at a community college is eighty-five percent (85%) or less of the national average community college faculty salary, the college may transfer up to two percent (2%) of the State funds allocated to it for faculty salaries.
Except as provided by subsection (b) of this section, a community college shall not transfer a greater percentage of the State funds allocated to it for faculty salaries than is authorized by this subsection.
SECTION 4.(b)  With the approval of the State Board of Community Colleges, a community college at which the average faculty salary is eighty-five percent (85%) or less of the national average may transfer a greater percentage of the State funds allocated to it for faculty salaries than is authorized by subdivision (5) of subsection (a) of this section.   The State Board shall approve the transfer only for purposes that directly affect student services.
The State Board of Community Colleges shall adopt rules to implement the provisions of this subsection.
SECTION 4.(c)  A local community college may use all State funds allocated to it except for Literacy Funds and Funds for New and Expanding Industries to increase faculty salaries.
SECTION 5.  As used in this act:
(1)	"Average faculty salary at a community college" means the total nine‑month salary from all sources of all nine‑month, full‑time, curriculum faculty at the college, as determined by the North Carolina Community College System on October 1 of each year.
(2)	"National average community college faculty salary" means the nine‑month, full‑time, curriculum salary average, as published by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), for the most recent year for which data are available.
SECTION 6.  The State Board of Community Colleges shall adopt rules to implement the provisions of this act.
SECTION 7.  The State Board of Community Colleges shall report to the appropriations subcommittees on education, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Fiscal Research Division, and the Office of State Budget and Management by December 1, 2004, and every year thereafter through December 1, 2009, on the implementation of this act.
SECTION 8.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Community Colleges System Office the sum of one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) for the 2004‑2005 fiscal year to implement the minimum salaries set out in Section 3 of this act.  Funds shall be allocated to those colleges with faculty below the minimum salary in each education level as determined by the North Carolina Community College System.  These funds shall only be used to bring the salaries of full‑time faculty members to the applicable minimum.
SECTION 9.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Community Colleges System Office the sum of thirty‑three million two hundred eighty‑nine thousand three hundred seventy-one dollars ($33,289,371) for the 2004‑2005 fiscal year to increase the salaries of community college faculty and professional staff.
SECTION 10.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2004.