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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 9, 2014 02:57 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Brad Roae |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Changing the overtime pay starting point for PASSHE professors from 12 credits to 15 credits. |
I will soon introduce legislation to change the new overtime pay starting point for PASSHE professors to begin at 15 credit hours instead of 12 credit hours. Last year, $9.3 million state tax dollars were spent to pay PASSHE professors "overtime" because they taught more than 12 hours a week. The APSCUF/ PASSHE union contract mandates 12 credit hours of teaching each semester to be considered "full time." Professors should no longer get paid “overtime” for teaching over 12 credit hours a semester. Instead, I propose that sixteen hours is the new starting point for overtime pay and benefits to be considered a full time employee. By comparison, tuition from the entire student body of Cheyney University equals the pay for this system-wide "overtime." Cheyney tuition is $6,622 and it takes 1,415 students paying tuition to cover the $9.3 million in "overtime" costs. Additionally, high school teachers who teach AP classes to these same students before they are enrolled in college must teach about 30 hours a week. There are about 5,000 professors and overtime occurred 2,225 times last year, so it is a very common thing. This means almost half of the professors were paid overtime last year. “Overtime” payments to professors cost each of the 120,000 students about $78 a year or $468 for a typical student who takes six years to earn their degree. The union contract allows 7% of the professors to be on "full pay" and "full benefits" sabbatical leave at any given time, so the remaining professors are paid "overtime" to fill in for those classes. Many of the professors are getting a 20% raise over a three year period in the union contract due to receiving two pay raises a year. It can be quickly realized that a 12 credit hour teaching load is not sustainable. Under my proposal, a professor would be in class teaching about 3 hours a day and would have the other 5 hours a day for office hours, making lesson plans, correcting tests, doing research, participating in meetings, etc. The new normal should be reset to 15 credit hours when the new union contract is in force in 2016. This legislation would help PASSHE better utilize their state tax dollar appropriation they receive in the General Fund Budget. Using attrition, over a period of time they would have a smaller staff and save money on salaries and benefits. I would greatly appreciate your co-sponsorship of this legislation. |