Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

AGLO 1980 NO. 17 >

(1) An otherwise eligible community college employee who had, at the beginning of a particular calendar year, accumulated the statutory maximum number of sick leave days (180) allowed by RCW 28B.50.551 prior to its amendment by § 3, chapter 182, Laws of 1980 and who, during that calendar year, used none of those accumulated sick leave days may receive no remuneration for unused sick leave earned and accumulated during that year pursuant to RCW 41.04.340.

AGO 1972 NO. 17 >

The board of trustees of a community college may delegate its duty to meet, confer and negotiate with representatives of its academic employees under chapter 196, Laws of 1971, 1st Ex. Sess., to a committee composed of members of the board; however, it may not delegate this function to a negotiating committee that consists either partly or entirely of non-board members.

AGO 1981 NO. 18 >

(1) The State Board for Community College Education has the authority, under RCW 28B.50.090, to (a) specify the number of days in an academic year or quarter in which instruction must be offered by each of the various community colleges; (b) define the number of hours of instruction that must be provided as the basis for counting a unit of academic credit for state funding purposes; (c) prescribe the maximum number of academic credit units per each particular class that are allowed to be counted for a particular degree or certificate by students enrolled in the various courses offered by the community colleges; and (d) designate a class or course involving students who are repeating a course previously completed and reduce a college's state funded enrollment count by such repeat enrollments.(2) The State Board for Community College Education does not have the authority, under RCW 28B.50.090, to (a) change the academic year for all community colleges from a quarter plan to a semester or a trimester plan; or (b) establish a minimum number of days of compensable service to be rendered by faculty and administrators employed by the community colleges.(3) To the extent that the State Board for Community College Education determines that accomplishment of the goals described in RCW 28B.50.090(3) requires either or both of those courses of action, the College Board may (a) direct a particular community college to alter its mix of courses in a manner that would make its overall curriculum more comprehensive; and (b) direct a particular community college to terminate a given course or program either because it is deemed to be unproductive (i.e., low enrollment or few completions) or because such termination would enhance the comprehensiveness of the total curriculum.

AGLO 1975 NO. 18 >

A community college district may not adopt a regulation under which those academic employees working full time would each be allocated one full vote, those employed two-thirds of full time would be allotted two-thirds of a vote, and those employed less than two-thirds of full time would be allocated one‑third of a vote in the election of their recognized bargaining representative under chapter 28B.52 RCW.

AGO 1972 NO. 19 >

The board of trustees of a community college may not adopt a rule establishing a mandatory retirement age of 65 years for all of its classified civil service employees who are also members of the Washington public employees' retirement system, without regard to the particular jobs which they hold.

AGLO 1979 NO. 23 >

(1) Under the authority granted to it by RCW 28A.50.140(16), a state community college district may offer, under contract with a private college of naturopathy, a two-year course in basic science representing the middle two years of a six-year curriculum leading to the issuance, by the private institution, of an N.D. (doctor of naturopathic medicine) degree, which two-year basic science program would be required to be preceded by two years of college level studies.

(2) The Council for Postsecondary Education is statutorily authorized to review the conduct of such a program and/or make advisory recommendations regarding the conduct thereof.

AGLO 1973 NO. 25 >

Effect of § 4 of Senate Bill 2153 on professional negotiations in community colleges.

AGO 1984 NO. 25 >

(1) Funds generated from the management, sale or other disposition of public lands granted at statehood for charitable, educational, penal and reformatory institutions (CEP & RI) by § 17 of the state's Enabling Act may be appropriated by the legislature for support of specific state institutions. (2) Designated state institutions may, as well, be allowed by the legislature, in the exercise of reasonable prudence related to fulfillment of the particular trust purpose, to utilize CEP & RI lands themselves for their institutional purposes without cost. (3) The state's community colleges are among the classes of educational institutions for the benefit of which CEP & RI lands, or revenues derived therefrom, may be applied or appropriated.

AGLO 1977 NO. 27 >

(1) It is only permissible for a community college to authorize released time, without loss of compensation, for union activities by its employees if it can readily be shown, based upon the factual circumstances involved, that the work thus being performed is also of significant benefit to the college as employer.

(2) The board of trustees of a community college may agree to provide community college property and facilities to a teachers' union or other employee organization only if (a) such use of the property or facilities is not inconsistent with the purposes of the college and (b) some form of equivalent consideration is provided for in return.

AGLO 1975 NO. 27 >

A community college, pursuant to contract, may legally pay its academic employees their salaries in twelve equal installments commencing in September and concluding in August of the succeeding year where the employee in question is assigned to teach fall, winter and spring quarters; or fall, winter and summer quarters; or fall, spring and summer quarters, but not winter, spring and summer quarters.