Whereas Education Code section 87470 provides that district governing boards may employ appropriately qualified individuals to perform instructional services under contract with public or private agencies, and
Whereas Education Code section 87470 also provides that service under such contracts will not count toward tenure unless the person is subsequently employed as a contract employee and has served more than 75% of the immediately preceding year performing services under such a contract with a public or private agency, and
Whereas the nature of contract education (i.e. minimum lead time, no guarantees of subsequent offerings) does not lend itself to the stability necessary to hire additional tenure-track faculty, and
Whereas the districts' pools of part-time instructors include highly talented and committed individuals needed to provide high quality contract education courses, and
Whereas it is in the interest of the districts to be allowed more flexible use of qualified part-time instructors in contract education and to stabilize part-time instructors' employment by providing them with significant new instructional opportunities,
Resolved that the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges explore the legal feasibility of part-time service under contracts with public or private agencies under Education Code 87470, not being counted for purposes of the 60% teaching load limitation with regard to tenure consideration.