Today the Washington House Education Appropriations & Oversight Committee held a work session that focused on the impacts of the biennial budget and tuition policy changes to higher education.

Representatives from each of the public, baccalureate institutions and the community and technical colleges testified to the impact of the 2011-13 biennial budget on their students and institutions and the policy changes each institution adopted with regard to tuition.

Members of the Committee asked several questions with regard to the impact on financial aid with the passage of the budget and House Bill 1795. In addition, some members noted the sea change that has taken place as a result of HB 1795 and asked the institutions to provide feedback to policymakers as the various policies are implemented on campus.

The Committee also heard from experts regarding the impact of budget reductions on K-12, the latest high school graduate rate metrics, and efforts with regard to the transition between high school and college.