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House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	August 26, 2016 10:45 AM
From:	Representative Brad Roae
To:	All House members
Subject:	Reduce Tuition Increases at PASSHE Universities

I will soon introduce four bills to reduce the need for tuition increases at the state owned universities that are part of the PA State System of Higher Education. The four pieces of legislation would address the fact that eighty percent of the budget at the state owned colleges account for salaries and benefits. Eighty percent of tuition, eighty percent of state funding in the budget and eighty percent of student loan debt is to pay for salaries and benefits, costs that are driven excessively high due to overly generous union contracts. The bills are as follows: 1. The first bill would allow only one pay raise per year for PASSHE professors rather than the current two pay raises per year. Increment increases or step increases would not be allowed. The union contract would specify an exact date once a year when the raise is effective. Most students and most of their parents do not get two pay raises per year. 2. The second bill requires full time professors to teach 15 hours per week or about three hours per day of actual classroom teaching. The current union contract requires professors to teach only 12 hours per week to be considered full time. Pennsylvania high school teachers spend almost twice as many hours in the classroom teaching than college professors and they receive about half the salary of professors. 3. The third bill allows free tuition for children of professors up to and including the age of 21 years, covering until the end of the semester after their 21st birthday. The current contract allows free tuition up to age 24. This benefit should be limited to four years of college education. 4. The fourth bill allows a maximum 3.5% of PASSHE professors to be on full pay and full benefit sabbatical leave at any given time. The current contract allows up to 7% of the professors that privilege. Most employers do not allow employees to take six months off with full pay and full benefits. If you are interested in reducing the overall cost of tuition, preventing tuition increases and reducing the amount of student loan debt that it takes to get through the PASSHE system, I urge you to consider this proposed legislation. I would greatly appreciate your co-sponsorship and support.

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Document #1

Description:	The first bill would allow only one pay raise per year for PASSHE professors rather than the current two pay raises per year. Increment increases or step increases would not be allowed.  The union contract would specify an exact date once a year when the raise is effective.  Most students and most of their parents do not get two pay raises per year.

Document #2

Description:

The second bill requires full time professors to teach 15 hours per week or about three hours per day of actual classroom teaching.  The current union contract requires professors to teach only 12 hours per week to be considered full time.  Pennsylvania high school teachers spend almost twice as many hours in the classroom teaching than college professors and they receive about half the salary of professors.

Document #3

Description:	The third bill allows free tuition for children of professors up to and including the age of 21 years, covering until the end of the semester after their 21st birthday.  The current contract allows free tuition up to age 24.  This benefit should be limited to four years of college education.

Document #4

Description:	The fourth bill allows a maximum 3.5% of PASSHE professors to be on full pay and full benefit sabbatical leave at any given time.  The current contract allows up to 7% of the professors that privilege.  Most employers do not allow employees to take six months off with full pay and full benefits.