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A Closer Look at Higher Education in the Senate’s Proposed Biennial Budget

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The Senate Ways & Means Committee will hold a public hearing on the Senate’s proposed operating buget today (April 13) at 2:30.

The budget reduces funding for higher education by $617.5 million. This is 22.1% below the amount needed to continue the current level of programs and activities at Washington’s public higher education institutions.

In addition to these reductions the budget also eliminates the Higher Education Coordinating Board and replaces it with the Council for Higher Education and the Office of Student Financial Assistance. Finally the budget makes several changes to financial aid in Washington.

The Higher Education Sector
Of the total reduction to higher education, state funding for community and technical colleges is $200.3 million (14.4 percent) below the maintenance level and state funding for the four-year, public institutions is $417.3 million (29.8%) lower. The Evergreen State College is reduced by $14.278 million and authorized to increase tuition by 14% per year for the biennium.

In addition,  each institution’s tuition waiver authority was maintained at the level established by institution for Fiscal Year 2010.

These reductions were offset in part by tuition increases at all public higher education institutions. The proposed budget authorizes tuition increases of 16% per year for the University of Washington, Washington State University, and Western Washington University; 14% for Central Washington University and The Evergreen State College; 12% for the community and technical colleges; and 11% for Eastern Washington University.

Additionally, the Senate proposes to provide greater tuition flexibility to four-year institutions of higher education by granting full-tuition setting authority beginning in 2013-15 through 2017-19. Under this proposal institutions would be required to negotiate a performance contract with the Office of Financial Management and the Higher Education Coordinating Board if they plan to raise tuition beyond 11% at WWU, UW, and WSU or 9% at Evergreen, CWU, and EWU. In addition institutions would be required to eliminate any tuition increase beyond this threshold for those students with incomes below 125% of median family income.

The Evergreen State College
Under this proposed budget state funding for Evergreen is reduced by $14.28 million over the biennium.

  • -$12.152 million in reduced state funding which  includes the following: (1) $10.598 in reduced state funding, and (2) $1.554 million in biennialized across-the-board reductions from the December supplemental.
  • -$1.92 million to reflect a 3% salary reduction
  • -$426,000 to reflect temporary furloughs
  • $220,000 for various studies for the Washington State Institute for Public Policy

The reductions to Evergreen’s state funding were offset in part by tuition increases for the 2011-13 biennium as stated in the budget. As a result, the net cut to state funding for Evergreen is $5.78 million (-5.5%)

Higher Education Coordinating Board and Financial Aid
The Senate’s proposed budget eliminates funding for the Higher Education Coordinating Board. All funds associated with non-financial aid programs are transferred to a new state agency the Council of Higher Education (SB 5182). In addition, all funds associated with financial aid programs are transferred to a new state agency, the Office of State Financial Assistance, also established in SB 5182.

The Senate’s proposed budget provides funds to the State Need Grant and the State Work Study program to offset the cost to recipients of resident undergraduate tuition increases at each institution of higher education. Though funds are provided to offset costs to the State Work Study program, overall funding is reduced for this program.

The reductions to the State Work Study program are the result of making permanent changes made during FY 2011 including increasing the required employer share of wages and discounting non-resident student eligibility for the program.

In addition awards to students at private institutions are reduced to align with the average annual tuition increase experienced by private institutions (3.5%).

Despite the financial support for the State Need Grant and State Work Study programs, several other state financial aid programs were suspended. These programs include:

  • Health Professionals Conditional Scholarship program
  • Small grant programs including the Community Matching Grant program, WICHE student exchange, and Foster Care Endowed Scholarship
  • Future Teachers program
  • WAVE and Washington Scholars

Last Major Deadline Passes in the Legislature

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The last major legislative deadline prior to the end of the 2011 regular session passed this evening.

Today marked the last day to take action on a bill that started in the opposite chamber. The exception is any legislation deemed necessary to implement the budget (NTIB).

Several bills that would impact higher education are still active in the legislative process after today’s deadline.

  • Senate Bill 5442 allows state and regional universities and TESC may develop accelerated baccalaureate degree programs that will allow academically qualified students to obtain a baccalaureate degree in three years without attending summer classes or enrolling in more than a full-time class load during the regular academic year.
  • Senate Bill 5304 requires the Caseload Forecast Council to provide a forecast of College Bound Scholarship Program recipients who will attend college.
  • House Bill 1663 removes higher education institutions from the requirement to seek an exemption from the Office of Financial Management with regards to purchasing from the Department of Corrections.
  • House Bill 1822 expresses the Legislature’s intent to partner with Washingto Governors University to establish WGU-Washington and provide enhanced access to postsecondary education for all Washington students.

The bills that passed this deadline and were not deemed NTIB will then move back to their origianl chamber if they were changed in the opposite chamber. The original chamber must either concur with any changes or dispute changes. For the bills that cannot be reconciled through this process a conference committee will be established to address the difference between the two chambers and try to find some compromise.

A conference committee is expected on the budget bills but may be needed on some policy bills. A conference committee consists of two House and Senate members from the majority party and one House and Senate member from the minority party. Once the conferees agree on what is in the conference bill the only action in either chamber is a yes or no vote. No further amendments are allowed.

WA Senate Release Biennial Budgets

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This evening the Washington Senate released its proposed biennial operating and capital budgets along with a supplemental budget for the current fiscal year.

2011-2103 Operating Budget
The proposed biennial budget makes approximately $4.8 billion in total reductions. The budget reduces funding for higher education by $617.5 million. Of this amount, state funding for community and technical colleges is $200.3 million (14.4 percent) below the maintenance level and state funding for the four-year, public institutions is $417.3 million (29.8%) lower. The Evergreen State College is reduced by $12.152 million and authorized to increase tuition by 14% per year for the biennium.

In addition to the reductions to higher education the proposed budget makes the following reductions to achieve a total savings of $4.8 billion.

  • $861 million – Elimination of Initiative 728
  • $212 million – Elimination of K-4 class enhancement
  • $95 million – Implementation of average daily attendance in K-12 public schools
  • $361 million – End automatic COLAs for PERS Plan 1 and TERS Plan 1
  • $428 million – 3% salary reduction to state, higher education, and K-12 employees
  • $184 millin – Reform to the Disability Lifeline cash program
  • $122 million – Reduction to Basic Health Plan
  • $110 million – Reduction in Hospital payments
  • $98 million – Reduction of 10% to Medicaid personal care hours
  • $51 million – Reduction to Disability Lifeline-Medical program

The Senate’s proposed budget also makes $455 milion in transfers from various accounts to maximize the General Fund state resources. In addition the budget assumes a net increase of $32 million in new revenues through a combination of legislation reducing revenue and legislative/budget actions increasing revenue.

2011-13 Capital Budget
The Senate’s proposed capital budget provides for $1.23 billion in bond-supported capital budget capacity for the state. The proposed capital budget is 21% smaller than the current 2009-11 biennim in total funds and a third smaller in bond funded projects.

The Senate’s proposed capital budget provides $590 million for higher education facilities. Over half of the funds go to the four-year institutions. This includes funding for Evergreen’s Communications Building and science lab renovation.

Federal Funding Legislation for Current Year Would Impact Higher Education

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Last Friday the U.S. House and Senate along with the White House agreed to a long-term continuing resolution that would fund the federal government for the remainder of FY 2011.  The deal reduces federal spending by $38.8 billion.

Congress also passed a short-term budget gap bill that expires this Thursday which will allow for time to develop the full legislation needed to implement the agreement. The short-term budget gap bills includes $2 billion in reductions.

The budget deal preserves the maximum Pell Grant but ends year-round Pell grants (See summaries posted by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees). In addition, the budget makes reductions to several research and education programs.   The bill would eliminate the Byrd Honors Scholarship Program and the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) program and reduce funding for several programs without completely eliminating them. These cuts include:

  • $20 million cut from the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (SEOG)
  • $25 million cut from the Federal TRIO Programs
  • $20 million cut from the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP)

The summary posted by the House Appropriations Committee also indicates a 0.2% across-the-board cut for all federal programs. It remains unclear exactly how this across-the-board cut will affect federal student aid programs.

Overall, the bill cuts federal spending by nearly $40 billion, the largest cut to federal spending in a single year. It cuts a host of education programs including Teach for America, Even Start, and Education Technology State Grants, as well as other federal programs including emergency first responders, the National Endowment for the Arts and high-speed rail. Cuts to ED programs were relatively small compared to cuts to the Departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Justice, Labor and Health and Human Services.

Congress is expected to vote on the bill as early as Thursday.

House Capital Budget Moves to the Floor

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This morning the  House Capital Budget Committee moved the proposed biennial capital budget out of committee and to the House floor. The committee adopted several amendments of which none impact Evergreen.
The capital budget proposes $629.1million in total funds for higher education, including $430.5 million in state bonds.  The four-year public baccalaureate institutions received $167.3 million in state-bonds.  This includes funding for Evergreen’s Communications Building, science lab renovation, and a predesign for the Lecture Hall.

Senate to Release Budget This Evening

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The Washington Senate will release a proposed 2011-13 operating budget this evening (April 12).

A press conference is scheduled for 5:30 and it is expected that the budget will be available soon after the press conference.

The press conference will be followed by a public hearing tomorrow (April 13) at 2:30 on the proposal in the Ways & Means Committee.

House Votes on Operating Budget and Sends It to the Senate

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The House passed a proposed biennial operating budget on Saturday. With a vote of 53-43, the budget now goes to the Senate.

With only two weeks left in the regular 2011 legislative session, the action taken by the House this weekend moves the state closer toward closing the budget gap and heading home.

The Senate is expected to release their proposed biennial budgets on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday the House Capital Budget Committee is expected to move the House’s proposed biennial capital budget out of committee and to the floor

House Expected to Vote on Biennial Operating Budget Today

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Yesterday the House Ways & Means Committee debated amendments to the proposed biennial operating budget on the House floor. The House is expected to pass the bill some time today (Saturday April 9).
The House  adopted several amendments of which a handful impact higher education.

Among the changes made to the bill is language to eliminate a proviso dedicated to the Latino/a Educational Achievement Project (LEAP) bilingual teacher mentoring program in the amount of $75,000 in each year ($150,000 total) in the Office of the Superintendent of Instruction and redirect these funds to the  to the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) for alternate route and teacher recruitment programs, including pipeline for paraeducators, retooling to teach math and science, and the recruiting Washington teachers program.

In addition, lanuage was added to provide $50,000 each fiscal year out of the existing appropriation for the Office of Financial Management to contract with the Washington State Quality Award for training, outreach and assessments for public agencies and their vendors. 

The language also instructs all state agencies, except the community and technical colleges,  to track and report employees trained in performance management; provide to the Government Management and Accountability Program (GMAP), State Auditor’s Office and the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee copies of their Washington State Quality Award (WSQA)  assessment, and to post the results to the GMAP’s website; to integrate performance management, including the Washington State Quality Award assessment, into agencies strategic plans. The community and technical colleges were amended out of the  requirement for community colleges to conduct a full Washington State Quality Award assessment by June 30, 2013.

Finally, language was included that directs the Office of Financial Management to estimate on an annual basis the percentage of Washington households with incomes in the middle-income bracket or higher, and provide a report to the Governor and appropriate committees of the legislature and directs the Work Force Training and Education Board to include in its comprehensive plan specific strategies to increase the percentage of middle-income bracket or higher households, as calculation by the Office of Financial Management and developed by the agency or educational institution that will lead each strategy.

2011 Legislative Session: Week 14

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Budgets, budgets, budgets…this is again the focus of the upcoming week.

The House will begin debate on their proposed biennial budget this afternoon. Several amendments have already been introduced.  The House is expected to vote on the budget tomorrow (Saturday, April 9).

On Monday or Tuesday the Senate is expected to release their proposed 2011-13 operating and capital biennial budgets. Public hearings and further action on the Senate’s proposed budget will follow.

In addition to action on the budgets, legislators will have a long week on the floor of each chamber. 

On Tuesday (April 12), the Legislature faces another major deadline requiring each chamber to consider bills from the opposite chamber. With that in mind, this week’s schedule includes limited committee meetings – primarily focused on the budgets or interim planning – with most of the time spent on the House and Senate floor as another major deadline looms.

House Operating Budget Moves to the Floor

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Yesterday the House Ways & Means Committee moved the proposed biennial operating budget out of committee and to the House floor. The bill was approved on a vote of 16-11 in committee.

The committee adopted several amendments of which a handful impacted higher education. Among the changes was the elimination of the reserve hold back for progress on academic metrics in FY13 for all institutions.  Though the hold back remains for FY12 language was added which requires the Governor in making the determination to release these funds to make all best efforts to recognize the unique role, missions, types of communities and student populations of each institution of higher education.

In addition language was added to clarify that biennial funding for STEM enrollments for all institutions are for increased enrollments and each institution must report to the Legislature at the end of each academic year on how these funds affected STEM graduation rates.
Finally, $4.7 million was restored to the Higher Education Coordinating Board.
The budget was brought to the floor late this afternoon. It is expected that  tomorrow (Friday) the House will begin debate on amendments. Final passage of the budget proposal is planned for Saturday.  As for the Senate it is expected that they will release their budget early next week.