Last week in the Washington Senate, the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee passed legislation to implement the Governor’s proposed Department of Education (SB 5639).
The Committee amended the legislation to remove all higher education state level entities (i.e. the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and the Higher Education Coordinating Board) from the bill. The new language in the bill would provide the opportunity, after the P-12 transition to the Department is complete, for the Governor to assemble a new transition team to consider, and if appropriate, coordinate inclusion of state level higher education agencies in the new Department.
The new language continues to eliminate the Professional Educators Standards Board (PESB), which transfers the powers of the Board and its duties/employees to the new Department of Education. PESB is responsible for policy and oversight of Washington State’s system of educator preparation, certification, continuing education and assignment.
Despite the removal of higher education from the Governor’s proposal, discussions and legislation continue to move forward on proposals that would restructure higher education in Washington at the state level.
Senate Bill 5182, which is in the Senate Ways & Means Committee, would eliminate the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) and create the Office of Student Financial Assistance and the Council of Higher Education. The Office of Student Financial Assistance would absorb the HECB’s current work on student aid and the GET program. The Council of Higher Education would house many of the coordinating functions that are currently the responsibility of the HECB.
The Council would be responsible for developing performance-based measures and goals for the public, baccalaureate instituitions and oversee a work group focused on strategic planning and statewide policies.
In the House conversations continue with regard to restructuring higher education in Washington. This week the House passed House Bill 1849 which establishes the Washington State Education Council.
The Council is charged with recommending policies, strategies, and a governance structure to make the public education system student-focused and able to provide seamless sevice delivery across all sectors. Higher Education would be represented thourhg a four faculty representatives from the public baccalaureate institution and two representatives from the four-year baccalaureates submitted by the Council of Presidents. In addition representatives would be appointed from the community and technical colleges and the private sector.
None of these proposals include or are likely to include the elimination of the Board of Trustees and Regents that govern Washington’s public, baccalaureate institutions.