Fiscal impact
reports (FIRs) are prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) for
standing finance committees of the NM Legislature. The LFC does not assume
responsibility for the accuracy of these reports if they are used for other
purposes.
Current FIRs (in
HTML & Adobe PDF formats) are available on the NM Legislative Website (legis.state.nm.us). Adobe PDF versions include all attachments,
whereas HTML versions may not.
Previously issued FIRs and attachments may also be obtained from the LFC
in
|
SPONSOR |
Miera |
DATE TYPED |
|
HB |
HJM 44/aHEC |
||
|
SHORT
TITLE |
Staff Ratio Guidelines at State Colleges |
SB |
|
||||
|
|
ANALYST |
|
|||||
APPROPRIATION
|
Appropriation
Contained |
Estimated
Additional Impact |
Recurring or
Non-Rec |
Fund Affected |
||
|
FY04 |
FY05 |
FY04 |
FY05 |
||
|
|
|
|
See Narrative |
|
|
Responses
Received From
New
Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of HEC
Amendment
The House Education Committee Amendment amends
the bill by requesting the Commission on Higher Education review the employment practices related to
part-time and non-tenure track faculty, and develop recommendations on
the establishment of minimum salary and benefit provisions similar to
tenure-track faculty. The amendment
notes this could ensure fair employment practices and provide for consistent
emphasis on quality instruction. The cost of implementation of the provision
will be relevant to the study.
Question: Will the implementation of this
provision lower the high turnover rate for part-time and non-tenure track
faculty?
Synopsis of Original
Bill
HJM 44 requests that
the Commission on Higher Education (CHE) establish and implement guidelines
regarding the ratio of full-time to part-time faculty and staff at state
institutions of higher education. It
further requests that these guidelines not exceed those ratios that currently
reflect best practices and that they enhance and maintain the delivery of
quality higher education services; that the CHE systematically and annually
monitor and analyze information regarding the impact of these guidelines on the
quality of education at state institutions of higher education; that the CHE
implement formal and continued annual monitoring of ratios of full-time to
part-time faculty and staff and determine the impact on the delivery of these
services; that the findings and recommendations resulting from the
implementation of the guidelines and the monitoring be provided to the
Legislative Education Study Committee (LESC) by November 1, 2004.
This request appears
to be a follow-up request to HJM 73 of 2001 and SJM36 of 2003.
Significant Issues
The quality of education in a college or
university requires the use of full-time, permanent tenured faculty and that
courses be taught by highly qualified people, whether they are full-time or
part-time employees. Various national
studies have shown a trend toward the hiring of part-time, non-tenured faculty who
often teach in substandard conditions. These highly qualified individuals
should be rewarded in a manner consistent with their qualifications and
commensurate with tenure track faculty.
This request appears to be a follow-up request
to HJM 73 of 2001 and SJM 36 of 2003. HJM73
of 2001 requested that the CHE study staffing patterns for full- and part-time
faculty and classified staff at
ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES
The CHE reported in
2003 that implementing the memorial would have a major impact on CHE staff
time.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
Quoted below, as cited in the CHE analysis, are
the conclusions of “House Joint Memorial 73, 2001 Regular Session, which
requested that the CHE study staffing patterns for full- and part-time faculty
and classified staff at New Mexico institutions of higher education and make recommendations
for ratios of full-time to part-time faculty and classified staff. The quality of education and services
delivered to clients of the higher education institutions was the concern of
the memorial.
In 2002, the CHE
published the Report of Full-time/Part-time Faculty and Staff Ratios, which
reached the following conclusions:
q
Outside of public research universities,
the data from New Mexico institutions for the use of part-time faculty does not
appear to be far out-of-line with the data gathered nationally for similar
institutions. Relative to the
q
For part-time staff employees, the
q
There is little in the literature to
suggest that the utilization of part-time faculty is a detriment to quality,
and the advantages and disadvantages of using part-time faculty and staffs are
about evenly weighted.
q
In a time of some economic uncertainty,
where institutions may be required to display some flexibility, and since there
are no strong negative indicators in the use of part-time faculty and staff,
the conclusion drawn is that no recommendations should be provided to the
institutions relative to the use of part-time employees.
The language in this
bill (HJM 44) states that the above named report does not yield definitive
conclusions regarding the impact of the various ratios; that literature
reviewed in the report suggests that the use of part-time faculty and staff
creates disadvantages noted in the bill.
This bill further
states that the CHE study does not address the relationship of these ratios to
the high turnover rates of faculty and staff and the adverse impact on the
quality of educational services, that guidelines for optimal ratios are not
established and trends are not monitored and that after continued systematic
monitoring and analysis of information about current staffing practices in
public higher education institutions, a determination should be made whether
there is a need for setting up a more structured and organized system for
hiring and retaining part-time faculty and staff in those institutions
BD/dm:lg