The Cal State University is trying to change the pay scale for faculty teaching summer courses, which are offered through the Extended Education program.
Extended Education can be offered as online and off-campus credit degree programs or professional development certificate programs and courses.
The CSU and the California Faculty Association have been negotiating over a new collective bargaining agreement for the past 22 months.
Under the CSU’s proposal, professors’ pay would be based on enrollment in the summer. If a class has less than 20 students, the teacher would take a 5 percent pay reduction student. However, a teacher would not be paid less than 65 percent of their regular salary, according to Michael Uhlenkamp, a spokesman for the CSU.
CSULB does not offer traditional students Extended Education courses in the fall and spring semesters. Continuing education is offered for winter, May and summer session.
In 2010, campuses were given the option to move summer courses over to Extended Education.
There is no government aid provided to students to pay for the Extended Education courses, and these courses are offered at a higher price when compared to regular courses.
The price for credit courses ranges from $100 to $350 per unit, while no credit courses range from $25 to $1,500 per unit in an upper end 30-hour certificate program. The price per semester at Cal State Long Beach is $2,985 for an undergrad student taking seven units or more.
According to Sheila Thomas, state university dean of Extended Education, there are no plans at this time to use Extended Education to offer bottleneck and remedial courses.
“We offer very few classes during the regular school year,” Thomas said. “We’re reviewing all our Extended Education policies, but there are no dramatic plans to change anything.”
There’s been an added interest in the Extended Education program because of budget cuts and reduced class offerings, according to Uhlenkamp.
“Because of budget cuts, there has been a move to shift summer offerings over to the Extended Education program,” Uhlenkamp said. “Right now, the amount of class offerings is limited because of the budget.”
He also said the CSU is looking at where else Extended Education could be applied, but nothing is set in stone.
“We’re looking at the possibilities and what’s feasible,” Uhlenkamp said. “We’re not really proposing a two-tiered system.