This afternoon the House Ways & Means Committee passed legislation that would eliminate the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) and restructure higher education at the state level.

Senate Bill 5182, as amended in committee, would eliminate the HECB and establish the Council of Higher Education and the Office of Student Financial Assistance.

The Office of Student Financial Assistance will be created as of July 1, 2011. The current fnancial aid program management under the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) will be transferred to the Office.

The Higher Education Council will be established on July 1, 2012. Between now and the July 2012 date the HECB will continue and bridge the one-year delay before the new Council is in place.

The membership of the Council includes the president of the UW or her/his designee, the president of WSU or her/his designee, a president from the comprehensive institutions or Evergreen, the director of the state board for community and technical colleges, the superintendent of public instruction or her/his designee, one president from a non-profit, private institution, and five representatives of the public, of which one will be a current student.

The role and scope of the Council will be determined by a Joint Legislative Task Force on Higher Education.  The Joint Legislative Task Force will include eight legislators – four from each chamber, of which two will be Democratic legislators and two will be Republican legislators.

The Task Force is charged with reviewing coordination, planning, and communication for higher education in the state and establishing the purpose and functions of the new Council. The Task Force will report its findings and recommendaitons to the governor and the appropriate legislative committees by December 1, 2011.

Among the options to be considered include:

• Creating an effective and efficient higher education system and coordinating key sectors including K-12
• Improving the coordination of higher education institutions and sectors with specific attention to strategic planning, system design, and transfer and articulation
• Improving structures and functions related to administration and regulation of the state’s higher education institutions and programs, including but not limited to financial aid, the GET program, federal grant administration, new degree program approval, authorization to offer degrees in the state, reporting performance data, and minimum admission standards.

The Task Force is required to consider input from all higher education stakeholders (i.e. institutions, Governor, HECB, K-12, Workforce Board, students, faculty, business, labor organizaitons, and the public).

The bill that passed out of the House committee is very close to the bill the Senate passed last week. The differences between SB 5182 as passed by the committee and the Senate are primarily with regard to the membership of the Council, the scope of the Council’s work, and the implementation date.

The bill now goes to the House floor for further consideration.