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Major Deadline in Legislature Nears

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This Friday marks the deadline for bills to pass out of their respective fiscal committees. As such committees in both chambers have held packed public hearings and executive sessions to hear and act on bills.

This week the House and Senate appropriations and finance committees held several public hearings focusing on a range of topics from veterans’ access to higher education to changes in financial aid policy. Both committees focused on moving bills from the fiscal committee to their respective chamber floors.

Next week both chambers will head to their respective floors to vote on bills and move them to the other chamber and another step forward in the process.

Washington State Supreme Court Rules Two-Thirds Majority for Revenue Unconstitutional

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This morning the Washington State Supreme Court released their ruling, 6 to 3,  on the constitutionality of Initiative 1053 which passed in November.

According to the Secretary of State’s Office Voter’s Guide, Initiative 1053 as passed during the general election required that “legislative actions raising taxes must be approved by two-thirds legislative majorities or receive voter approval, and that new or increased fees require majority legislative approval.”

Today’s ruling strikes down Initiative 1053 as unconstitutional arguing that the Washington Constitutuion controls the majority needed for tax increases and the Constitution only requires a majority of the members of the Washington House and Senate.

To reinstate a two-thirds requirement for tax increases would require an amendment to the Washington Constitution. An amendment to the Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of both chambers of the Legislature.

State of the Union Highlights Higher Education

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In his 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama outlined a series of proposals to increase access to a high-quality education. 

Among them were initiatives to make quality early education accessible to every child, to redesign the country’s high schools to meet the needs of the real world, and to tackle the spiraling cost of college. 

President Obama stated, “Now, even with better high schools, most young people will need some higher education.  It’s a simple fact that the more education you have, the more likely you are to have a job and work your way into the middle class.  But, today, skyrocketing costs price too many young people out of a higher education, or saddle them with unsustainable debt.  Through tax credits, grants, and better loans, we’ve made college more affordable for millions of students and families over the last few years, but taxpayers can’t keep on subsidizing higher and higher costs for higher education.  Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it’s our job to make sure that they do.  So, tonight, I ask Congress to change the Higher Education Act so affordability and value are included in determining which colleges receive certain types of federal aid.  And, tomorrow, my Administration will release a new College Scorecard (see below) that students and parents can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria: where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.”

A day after the State of the Union address, the Department released an interactive College Scorecard, supplying students and families the critical information they need to make smart decisions about where to enroll for higher education. 

The scorecard — part of the President’s continued efforts to hold colleges accountable for cost, value, and quality — includes five basic pieces of data about an institution: costs, graduation rate, loan default rate, average amount borrowed, and employment.  The data will be updated periodically, and the agency plans to publish information on earnings potential in the coming year.

Policy Committees Ramp Up Work on Bills as First Deadline Nears

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A week from Friday marks the deadline for policy bills to pass out of their respective policy committees.  As such committees in both chambers are holding packed public hearings and executive sessions to hear and act on bills.

Last week and this week the House and Senate higher education policy committees held several public hearings focusing on a range of topics from tuition  and financial aid policy to efficiencies at institutions of higher education and veterans’ access to higher education.

This week both committees continued their work in moving bills from the policy committee either to their respective chamber floors or to an appropriations committee.

This work will continue next week as the deadline for policy bills nears. In the House legislators will hear bills related to academic credit for military training  and financial aid policy. In the Senate policymakers will hold public hearings on legislation focused on self-supporting, fee based programs, and financial aid and tuition policy.

Governor Inslee Announces a Jobs Package

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Yesterday, Governor Jay Inslee announced a multifaceted $120 million jobs package for Washington.

The package would:

  • Provide tax breaks for new companies in certain fields
  • Create 500 new slots in aerospace-training programs
  • Assemble a commission to ensure that the state’s colleges and universities are turning out students with math- and science-based skills relevant to the economy’s needs.

The commission identified as part of Inslee’s package is the STEM Education Innovation Alliance. The Alliance would be responsible for advising the Governor in the development of a vision, guidance, assistance and advice to support STEM initiatives across the education spectrum to increase learning opportunities and improve educational outcomes in STEM.

The Governor’s Office, in consultation with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, is also responsible for inviting representatives of STEM businesses, business and labor organizations with expertise in STEM fields, one or more nonprofit organizations with a mission to enhance STEM education from early learning through postsecondary education, school districts and institutions of higher education that have demonstrated leadership and innovation in STEM education, and STEM educators to participate in the alliance.

The primary focus of the Alliance’s work is to align and combine previous STEM education strategic plans into a single, cohesive, and comprehensive STEM framework for action and accountability. The framework must concentrate on a limited number of selected and specific measures that are meaningful indicators of progress in increasing STEM learning opportunities and in achieving the intended longer-term outcomes of such efforts. The framework must also use measures that are quantifiable and based on data that are regularly and reliably collected statewide.

The package is part of the ongoing efforts by the Governor to drive collaboration between institutions and businesses  to prepare students and workers for today’s jobs and the jobs of the future.

Governor Inslee’s Working Washington Agenda has five major components.

  • Educationg a 21st centry workforce. Expanding and enhancing STEM education. Preventing and reengaging high school dropouts. Increasing workplace-based training opportunities for students.
  • Improving the business climate & expanding our workforce. Promoting job growth and encouraging innovation through targeted tax relief. Modernizing state regulatory systems.
  • Advancing Washington’s aerospace leadership. New investments in aerospace education and training programs across the state. Helping Washington compete for new aerospace business.
  • Clean energy, climate action and plentiful water. Tapping state capital funds to develop clean energy solutions. Supporting more biofuel production. Making transportation and other investments good for climate.
  • Health care reform: healhty people, healthy economy. Fully embracing federal health care reform. Improving people’s health, saving taxpayer dollars and creating thousands of jobs.

The legislation to create the STEM Education Innovation Alliance will be heard next week in both chambers. On Wednesday evening in the House Education Committee and on Thursday evening in the Senate Early Learning & K12 Committee.

Workforce and Veterans Focus of Senate Higher Education

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The Senate Higher Education Committee met this afternoon, February 5, to talk about workforce and hear a number of bills.

The committee focused on a single topic for the work session, the Washington Workforce Board.   Eleni Papadakis, Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board provided an upate on the work of the Board.

The Committee then held a public hearing on several pieces of legislation.

Senate Bills 5179, 5318, 5343
This series of legislation focuses on increasing access for student veterans at Washington’s higher education institutions.

Senate Bills 5179 and 5318 removes the one-year waiting period for veterans or active members of the military for purposes of eligibility for resident tuition.

Senate Bill 5343 would allow a member of the Washington National Guard or any other military reserve component who is a student at an institution of higher education and who is ordered for a period of 30 days or less to either active or inactive state or federal service and as a result of that service or a follow-up medical treatment for injury incurred during that service misses any of the following: class, test, examination, laboratory, class day on which a written or oral assignment is due, or other event upon which a course grade or evaluation is based, is entitled to make up these events without prejudice to the final course grade or evaluation.

Evergreen supports this legislation.

Senate Bill 5131

Senate Bill 5131 provides a tax incentive for donations of modern laboratory equipment to higher education institutions and vocational skills centers.

Evergreen, along with the Council of Presidents, asked that the committee consider amending the bill to include the public, four-year institutions as eligible institutons under this legislation.

Performance and Data Top Work of House Higher Education Committee

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The House Higher Education Committee met this morning, February 5, to talk about performance and accountability for Washington’s public baccalaureate institutions.  

To begin the work session Melissa Beard, Education Research and Data Center and Jane Sherman, Council of Presidents provided an overview of the newly released Public Baccalaureate Dashboard and talked about  how the dashboard was established and the metrics provided for the public, four-year sector.

Following the presentation, the committee heard from Jane Sherman  regarding the state negotiated performance plans for the public baccalaureates.

The Committee then held a public hearing on two pieces of legislation, House Bill 1320 and House Bill 1453.

House Bill 1320

House Bill 1320 requires the Washington Student Achievement Council to establish and maintain a statewide Online Transfer and Student Advising system by September 1, 2014, in conjunction with other state agencies and higher education institutions.

The purpose of the Online Transfer and Student Advising system is to assist students to access higher education programs quickly and speed completion oftheir educational programs by clarifying and simplifying the process for exploring programs, resources, and transferability of courses.

Overall testimony was in support of the legislation. Some concerns were raised regarding the potential for additional costs and resources if the development of the online system were to require additional data and crosswalking between institutions and the advising system.

Evergreen testified in support with the caveat that the proposed substitute reflects changes in the bill to recognize the dynamic nature of the College’s curriculum and the need for translation for students that transfer from Evergreen to other institutions.

House Bill 1453

House Bill 1453 reduces the minimum number of required credits from six to three quarter credits for State Need Grant eligibility.

The legislation would make students who attend less than full-time to be permanently eligible for the grant. The bill does not speak to the fiscal impact but focuses on the policy change regarding eligibility.

College Promise Coalition Announces 2013 Agenda

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The College Promise Coalition announced its 2013 legislative agenda, today, January 31st. Among the coalition’s top priorities are; preserving access to higher education, protecting financial aid sources and increasing funding for colleges and universities.

Founded in 2011, the Coalition is an “unprecedented partnership that brings together advocates for Washington colleges and universities, alongside students, parents, faculty, alumni, education advocates and leaders in business and labor, in order to urge the legislature to make higher education a top priority in our state.”

Calling on the legislature to not only avoid cutting higher education, but to find a long-term solution that addresses the sustained funding crisis facing colleges and universities in Washington State, the agenda outlines a cradle-to-college approach to education. This emphasizes the importance of maintaining access higher education for Washington families and asks that legislators find a budget solution that reinvests in higher education and protects financial aid programs including Work Study and the College Bound Scholarship Program.

The Coalition plans on being an active participant during the 2013 session and the Government Relations office will keep you apprised of their activities.

Senate Higher Ed Hears from Colleges and Universities; Evergreen’s Julie Garver Presents

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The Senate Higher Education Committee continued hearing from panels on industry needs, this time from the institutions themselves. Testifying on how the sector responds to industry needs, the state’s public baccalaureates, community and technical colleges, and private and independent colleges presented to the senate committee.

From Evergreen, Director of Government Relations, Dr. Julie Garver, spoke to the unique program’s offered and how these respond to Washington business and industry needs. Specifically, Dr. Garver spoke about post-graduate employment trends of Evergreen graduates.  In fact, one year after graduation:

  • 71% of graduates were employed
  • 47% of Evergreen graduates were employed by the private sector
  • 29% were employed by public agencies
  • 24% were employed by nonprofit organizations

Of the areas in which Evergreen’s graduates were employed:

  • 21% were employed in Education, Community & Social Services
  • 15% were employed in Business, Financial Operations, and Management
  • 14% were employed in “High Demand” Science Fields; and
  • 13% were self-employed or owned their own business

 Three years after graduation:

  • 85% of graduates were employed
  • 46% were employed by the private sector
  • 34% were employed by public agencies
  • 20% were employed by nonprofit organizations

Of the areas in which the college’s graduates were employed three years out:

  • 23.8% were employed in Education, Community & Social Services
  • 16% were employed in Business, Financial Operations, and Management
  • 25% were employed in “High Demand” Science Fields

Additionally, Garver spoke to the unique strengths Evergreen graduates bring with them upon graduation.  In fact, Evergreen is giving its graduates the very skills needed to be successful post-graduation. Of the number of skills needed, those that employers stress the most are:

  • The ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing (89%)
  • Critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills (81%)
  • The ability to analyze and solve complex problems (75%)
  • Teamwork skills and the ability to collaborate with others in diverse group settings (71%)
  • The ability to innovate and be creative (70%) 

Evergreen is proud of how these align with the “Six Expectations” outlined for each of the institution’s students. These include:

  • Articulate and assume responsibility for your own work
  • Participate collaboratively and responsibly in our diverse society
  • Communicate creatively and effectively
  • Demonstrate integrative, independent critical thinking
  • Apply qualitative, quantitative and creative modes of inquiry appropriately to practical and theoretical problems across disciplines
  • Demonstrate depth, breadth, and synthesis of learning and the ability to reflect on personal and social significance of learning as a culmination of your education

 Finally, Dr. Garver touched on what is needed in order for Evergreen to continue meeting the needs of the State. These will include:

  • Supporting Evergreen’s funding request for student success
  • Encourage venues and opportunities for institutions of higher education to partner with employers

For Garver’s full presentation please click here.

House Higher Education Talks GET; Hears From Financial Aid Counselors

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The House Higher Education committee met this morning, January 31, to talk about Washington’s Guaranteed Education Tuition Program (GET) and Financial Aid counseling. To begin the work session House Analyst Catrina Lucero provided an overview of the GET program and talked about why it has been in the spotlight recently. Following Ms. Lucero, the committee heard from Washington’s State Treasurer, James McIntire, and James Smith from the State’s Actuary’s Office. Following the GET conversation, the committee discussed financial aid counseling, hearing from financial aid officers at our higher education institutions; including Evergreen’s Tracy Hall.

GET Program

The GET program was created by the WA State legislature in the mid-1990’s as a 529 pre-paid college tuition plan. Measured in “units,” where 100 units represent the cost of one year of resident, undergraduate tuition and state-mandated fees at the highest priced public university (either UW or WSU), individual units are valued at 1/100th of that cost.

The GET program has come under increased scrutiny in recent years after the legislature passed major higher education reform legislation in 2011. Among the reforms, the legislation allowed Washington’s colleges and universities to set their own tuition, and allowed them to implement differential tuition. Just as it sounds, differential tuition is the process of charging different tuition rates for different degree programs. The reasoning behind this policy is certain programs cost more than others. For example, an engineering program costs more to provide than an English or history program. Differential tuition can be a tool of use for colleges and universities who have seen their budgets slashed in recent years. Problems arise with GET because as one will recall, a GET unit is priced based on the highest priced public university. Additionally, double digit tuition increases that offset some of the cuts levied to Washington’s higher education institutions, has caused the price of GET units to rise significantly.

After the 2012 legislative session the legislature created a task force to review the impacts of differential tuition on the program and make recommendations on how to proceed with differential tuition and GET. That taskforce, by a close vote, recommended closing the GET program, honoring current contracts and allowing differential tuition authority for those institutions that are not the basis for the value of a GET unit. A decision met with mixed feelings in the legislature, GET has now become one of the “hot button” issues of the 2013 session. Just how lawmakers will proceed is unknown at this time, but we will certainly keep you posted as decisions are made.

Financial Aid

To kick off the financial aid counseling panel the House Higher Education Committee first heard from a panel of two year representatives. Following the two-year panel the committee heard from a panel of four-year counselors. Included were Evergreen’s Tracy Hall, UW’s Kay Lewis and Pacific Lutheran University’s Ron Noborikawa. All panelists talked about the importance of financial literacy and a knowledge of paying for one’s education. The panelists talked about the different types of monies used to pay for a student’s education, including, federal and state financial aid, scholarships and loans. With the recent recession and increases in tuition at our institutions, student “neediness” is increasing in Washington. However, the loan debt our state’s students take on is still low compared to other states in the nation. In fact, the UW’s Kay Lewis noted most of her students are still borrowing “responsibly” and are very weary of taking on too much debt. Lewis also talked about counseling “tools” available to students. These include “old fashioned” one-on-one counseling sessions provided by institutions, as well as a new federal US Department of Education website that allows students to project income and loan repayments, and explore loan repayment plans.