Part-time academic employees — State-mandated benefits — Definitions.
RCW 28B.50.489
in effectFor the purposes of determining eligibility of state-mandated insurance, retirement benefits under RCW 28B.10.400 , and sick leave for part-time academic employees in community and technical colleges, the following definitions shall be used: (1) "Full-time academic workload" means the number of in-class teaching hours that a full-time instructor must teach to fulfill his or her employment obligations in a given discipline in a given college. If full-time academic workload is defined in a contract adopted through the collective bargaining process, that definition shall prevail. If the full-time workload bargained in a contract includes more than in-class teaching hours, only that portion that is in-class teaching hours may be considered academic workload. (2) "In-class teaching hours" means contact classroom and lab hours in which full or part-time academic employees are performing contractually assigned teaching duties. The in-class teaching hours shall not include any duties performed in support of, or in addition to, those contractually assigned in-class teaching hours. (3) "Academic employee" in a community or technical college means any teacher, counselor, librarian, or department head who is employed by a college district, whether full or part-time, with the exception of the chief administrative officer of, and any administrator in, each college district. (4) "Part-time academic workload" means any percentage of a full-time academic workload for which the part-time academic employee is not paid on the full-time academic salary schedule.
For the purposes of determining eligibility of state-mandated insurance, retirement benefits under RCW 28B.10.400 , and sick leave for part-time academic employees in community and technical colleges, the following definitions shall be used:
(1) "Full-time academic workload" means the number of in-class teaching hours that a full-time instructor must teach to fulfill his or her employment obligations in a given discipline in a given college. If full-time academic workload is defined in a contract adopted through the collective bargaining process, that definition shall prevail. If the full-time workload bargained in a contract includes more than in-class teaching hours, only that portion that is in-class teaching hours may be considered academic workload.
(2) "In-class teaching hours" means contact classroom and lab hours in which full or part-time academic employees are performing contractually assigned teaching duties. The in-class teaching hours shall not include any duties performed in support of, or in addition to, those contractually assigned in-class teaching hours.
(3) "Academic employee" in a community or technical college means any teacher, counselor, librarian, or department head who is employed by a college district, whether full or part-time, with the exception of the chief administrative officer of, and any administrator in, each college district.
(4) "Part-time academic workload" means any percentage of a full-time academic workload for which the part-time academic employee is not paid on the full-time academic salary schedule.
Source: WA Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=28B.50&full=trueFetched: 6/29/2026