Resolutions and Policy

Whereas, adjunct/contingent faculty comprise 73% of all higher education faculty (AAUP), which is the majority of U.S. higher education faculty, and a critical and essential force for learning; and

Whereas, adjunct/contingent faculty possess the same teaching credentials and teach alongside tenure-track faculty without the benefits tenure-track faculty are given, including: job security, paid livable wages, access to employer healthcare, and a robust retirement plan; and

Whereas, adjunct/contingent faculty comprise 73% of all higher education (ed) faculty (AAUP), which is the majority of US Higher Education (Ed) faculty, and a critical and essential force for learning; and,

Whereas, adjunct/contingent faculty possess the same teaching credentials and teach alongside tenure-track faculty without the benefits tenure-track faculty are given, including: job security, paid livable wages, access to employer healthcare, and a robust retirement plan; and,

Whereas, the CFT believes each child deserves a free and appropriate challenging education that can only be reached through adequate and supported resources as identified in their Individualized Education Plans (IEPs); and

Whereas, through Child Find, Special Education identification is increasing the number of students with IEPS (source: California School Dashboard); and

Whereas, the California Department of Education, Section 56362(c), addresses only caseload caps of 28 students for Resource Specialists; and

Whereas, in the summer of 2012, when California community colleges were turning away hundreds of thousands of students due to budget shortfalls, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, in the context of a cost-benefit framework, restricted repeatability for nearly all courses in order to prioritize basic skills, certificate and degree attainment, and transfer preparation; and

Whereas, increased levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide and methane are the primary causes of climate change; and

Whereas, climate change is an existential threat to life on earth; and

Whereas, the Obama administration estimated the economic damages imposed by climate change to be $51 per ton of carbon dioxide emissions; and

Whereas, since the outbreak of COVID-19, our priority has been to keep our members, our students, and our communities safe; and

Whereas, vaccines are a critical tool for controlling the spread of communicable disease in society, as we have seen from diseases like measles, polio and smallpox; and

Whereas, a national movement of teachers, parents, administrators, scholars, and pupils have come together to proclaim an annual week of action, affirmation, and solidarity during the first week in February called Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action; and

Whereas, CFT recognizes February as Black History Month and urges all individuals to join in celebrating the accomplishments of Black and African Americans during Black History Month; and

Whereas, many contingent faculty work at multiple institutions of higher education; and

Whereas, community colleges and universities regularly hire contingent faculty; and

Whereas, contingent faculty are required to hold the same academic qualifications and credentials as their full-time colleagues; and

Whereas, qualified contingent faculty are rehired for years; and

Whereas, eight people were murdered in Georgia on March 16, 2021, including six Asian American women; and

Whereas, there has been a rise in vicious attacks on Asian Americans throughout the country, including on the elderly; and

Whereas, attacks on Asian American women have a long and sordid history, perpetuated by negative media images and misogyny; and

Whereas, anti-Asian violence is not a new phenomenon, but has deep roots in white supremacy and racism within U.S. society; and