By Lantz Simpson

On July 26, Governor Gray Davis signed the state budget for 2001-02, which included $57 million for part-time faculty salary equity in the community colleges.  The equity the community college system, including faculty, administrators, and state officials.  Santa Monica College's share of the fund will be about $1.1 million.  The successful passage of these budget moneys represents the greatest political victory ever for part-time faculty in California.

All of the equity funds must go to supplement, not supplant, funds going towards existing salaries.  With that condition, the funds must go through the collective bargaining process in order to be implemented in each district.  At SMC, for example, if the funds are distributed proportionally across the board on all part-time faculty salary schedules, then those faculty now on the load factor 1.0 salary schedule will receive an additional movement towards equal pay of about 3.5%, or from 65% to 68.5%.  The Faculty Association is bargaining for such across-the-board supplements.

The initial funding request from the Board of Governors was for $75 million.  As the bad news came in throughout the spring about the energy crisis and the projected state budget, there were worries that the  equity  fund  would be deleted from  the final  budget.   But  the  community  college constituencies held firm and word from the Governor's office also held steady that some amount would remain for part-time faculty equity.  The $57 million that passed the legislature was indeed signed by the Governor. All of the faculty groups worked hard to see the equity fund become a reality.  FACCC, CFT, CTA, CCCI, and the state Academic Senate all pitched in to save the fund.  Special kudos should go to Chris Storer of CPFA for the coalition building work he has done over the past few years, which laid the foundation for the solid support this year for the equity fund.  Chancellor Tom Nussbaum should also be given credit for holding the constituencies together throughout the spring and summer.

Consultation and planning is already underway for the 2002-03 state budget requests.  The faculty groups are committed to obtaining more funds for part-time equity.  Current estimates are that this year's appropriation was about 15 - 20% of the money needed to attain full salary equity.  However, local conditions vary so much that some districts, depending on the already existing salary structures and the full-time to part-time faculty ratios, are much closer to salary equity than others.  How this district-to-district disparity will be addressed in the future is the major issue right now in consultation.