OAR 589-008-0100: Guidelines for Formation of Community College Personnel Policies

(1) Each community college board of education shall establish a personnel policy statement, including a policy on instructor selection and development that must include, but need not be limited to, the following: (a) Definitions of the main terms used in the policy; (b) Position descriptions; (c) Procedures for instructor approval, including period of instructor approval; (d) Procedures for providing individual, written notice of reasonable assurance of continued employment to all employees who are to perform services in the same or a similar capacity during a subsequent academic year or term or in the period immediately following a recess period. Such notice shall be given by May 30 of each year for employees employed as of that date and as of the date of hire for employees employed subsequent to May 30. Pursuant to ORS 341.547, faculty members on annual or indefinite tenure, classified staff members on regular status, and management service employees are considered to have been given notice for the purposes of this section; (e) A statement regarding academic freedom and responsibility; (f) Procedures for faculty development for full-time and part-time instructors, which provides opportunities to continuously improve their knowledge and performance and are consistent with the standards and requirements published by the college’s institutional accrediting agency; (g) Procedures for staff evaluation; (h) Grievance and appeals procedures; (i) Affirmative action and nondiscrimination practices; (j) College organization; and (k) Methods of policy development and review. (2) Personnel policies adopted by community college boards shall be filed with the Director within one year following establishment of the community college district. Thereafter, each college shall file annually, between December 1 and January 1, any policy revisions. Policies posted on the community college’s publicly accessible website, Human Resources section, are considered to have met the filing requirement if the appropriate ‘effective date’ of the policy is also noted. In the event the governing board of the community college fails to enact the personnel policies as required by subsection (1) of this rule, the Director may withhold the next scheduled Community College Support Fund payment until such personnel policies are enacted. (3) Each community college board shall develop a policy outlining the procedure for faculty selection. The policy shall include procedures by which the college will maintain records documenting the faculty member's credentials, professional development activities, and other information supporting the faculty member's instructional assignment. In no case shall the process for faculty selection fall below those standards and requirements set forth in the most recent guidance from the college’s accrediting agency. (4) Faculty for upper division courses within applied baccalaureate programs: (a) The school must obtain and keep official transcripts and resumes for all teaching faculty within any applied baccalaureate program. (b) The school shall ensure that all teachers are individually qualified by education and experience to give expert instruction or evaluation in their specialties. Unless an exception is approved by the college’s President because of sufficient compensatory qualification, teachers shall be qualified for the various levels of instruction or evaluation as described below, with degrees earned from schools that are accredited by a federally recognized accrediting agency. (c) A person who does not hold the appropriate level and major degree as stated in subsection (A) through (C) of this paragraph may demonstrate qualification by showing at least 12 semester or 15 quarter credits in the field at a level higher than the current teaching assignment combined with an appropriate depth of relevant professional experience in the field, as evidenced on a resume. Teaching experience cannot be used to replace professional experience if this option is exercised, except for teacher education programs. (A) Teachers in programs leading to degrees in the fine arts, including but not limited to art, music, dance, cooking, theater, photography, writing, and other programs involving a significant creative element, may demonstrate qualifications with a documented combination of academic and creative work. (B) Standards applicable to bachelor's degree programs: A teacher within a program offering bachelor's degrees ordinarily shall possess a graduate degree appropriate to the subject taught or evaluated except those compensatory nonacademic qualifications such as an appropriate depth of relevant professional experience in the field, will be more readily accepted by the President in programs leading to occupational degrees, professional licensure, or within the fine arts. (C) A teacher of an academic or scientific discipline within an occupational or professional degree program ordinarily shall possess the appropriate degree in the discipline rather than a non-disciplinary occupational or professional degree. However, lower-division undergraduate courses may be taught by those with non-disciplinary degrees who have demonstrable and extensive acquaintance with the discipline.