Tag Archives: senate higher education

Tuition, Accountability and Budget Topics of Discussion

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Higher education advocates, inlcuding the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) and the Council of Presidents (COP), spoke to the critical links between state funding, tuition, and financial aid and the role of accountability/performance metrics at the January 18 Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee’s work session.

Chair Rodney Tom focused the two-hour work session on the relationship between tuition, state funding, and accountability and the impact on student access. The work session provided the opportunity for higher education institutions to provide testimony and answer questions from policymakers.

Following informative presentations by the HECB , legislative staff, and COP institutions were provided the opportunity to share their thoughts.  The comments provided by representatives of the public, four-year higher education sector included the impacts of reductions to date, the importance of flexibility, and ideas about accountability and performance metrics.

In the afternoon, the presidents of all six public, baccalaureate institutions engaged the Senate Ways & Means Committee regarding state funding and the impacts of the Governor’s proposed 2011-13 biennial budget.

Chair Ed Murray focused the work session on higher education, including both two- and four-year institutions. 

Kicking off the discussion with an overview, the Council of Presidents highlighted the recent impacts to state funding for higher education and the potential impact of the Governor’s proposed budget. 

The presidents then spoke to the challenges they share with policymakers in funding services and programs for their constituents in a difficult fiscal climate.  The presidents acknowledged the difficult fiscal climate in their comments and asked for the flexibility and the opportunity to work with members to make strategic decisions that will allow institutions to steer through the storm.

Higher Education Policy Committees

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Led by Chair Larry Seaquist, the House Higher Education Committee started the morning with presentations about the students Washington’s public and private 2-year and 4-year sectors serve.

The Higher Education Coordinating Board provided an overview for the commitee. This was followed by panels that focused specifically on four-year public baccalaureate institutions, private baccalaureate institutions, community and technical colleges, and career colleges.

Mike Reilly, Executive Director for the Council of Presidents, shared with the committee an an overview of the student profile at Washington’s four-year, public institutions.

Following Reilly was a panel of five baccalaureate students, including Erin Dorrough  from The Evergreen State College. Each student shared with the Committee a little about themelves, their studies and what brought them to a Washington campus.

In the afternoon, the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee, led by Senator Rodney Tom, heard several presentations, including recommendations from the Technology Transformation Task Force and an overview by the Higher Education Coordinating Board on transfer and articulation in Washington.

Legislature Week 6: What is Happening

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The sixth week of the 2010 supplemental session will likely be the most chaotic of the session.

The beginning of the week continues the Legislature’s focus on the floor as the cut-off for moving bills from their chamber of origin to the other chamber nears (February 16).

Overlapping slightly will be a resurgence of policy committee meetings as policymakers consider bills from the opposite chamber and prepare for the next deadline. All policy committees must move policy bills to either the floor or an appropriation committee by February 23. 

The focus of the higher education policy committees (i.e. House Higher Education and Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development) will be to move several bills impacting Washington’s institutions of higher education out of committee and either to the floor for consideration or to an appropriation committee.

In addition, the appropriations committees (i.e. Senate Ways & Means and House Ways & Means) will meet to continue their work on budget related matters.

Finally it is expected that both the House and Senate will release their proposed budgets sometime next week.

Senate Policy Committees Continue to Take Action on Bills

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Today Senate Policy Committees were busy moving bills forward before the cut-off deadline on Friday.

Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development

The Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee passed a tuition policy bill for the University of Washington, Washington State University, and Western Washington Univerrsity.

Substitute Senate Bill 6562 allows the board’s of UW, WSU, and WWU to set tuition rates within limits. Tuition (the average annual compounded rate of change of undergraduate tuition fees)at these institutions is not allowed to exceed 9% based on the previous 15 years or 14% in any one year. In addition, the Committee on Higher Education Performance is created and authorized to approve performance agreements for UW, WSU, and WWU. Finally, these institutions must waive full-time tuition/fees for resident undergraduate students based on family and state median family income levels. The waivers are based on a graduated scale based on state median family income and institutional tuition fee rates.

For Evergreen as well as Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, and the community and technical colleges tuition fee setting authority remains the same as current law.

The substitute bill was further amended in committee. The amendments establish a sunset for tuition setting authority for the three institutions in the bill at the end of the 2017-18 academic year; change the title from Relating to higher education finance to Relating to higher education accountability and access; and modifies the Committee on Higher Education Performance to include members from the minority party.

Substitute Senate Bill 6562 passed unanimously out of committee. The bill is now headed to Senate Ways & Means for their consideration.

Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education

The Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education committee took action on an omnibus teacher preparation and K-12 bill. Substitute Senate Bill 6696 includes the following changes related to teacher preparation.

Section 402: Clarifies that community colleges and non-higher education providers can be considered for new providers of the alternative routes. Moves the option for residency teacher preparation programs to provide a summary of procedures providing flexible completion opportunities to section 403 and makes it part of what alternative route providers must include in their application.

Section 403: Removes “higher education” since such institutions will not be the only providers of alternative routes.

Section 409: Clarifies that the service regions for institutions of higher education is for those institutios of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016 (all the 4-year universities and college & the community and technical colleges).

In addition, Substitute Senate Bill 6696 was amended as follows related to teacher preparation: (1) Amends the four-level evaluation system for teachers to use student growth data if available and relevant to the teacher and subject matter. Requires the school districts participating in the pilot of the teacher and principal evaluations to submit all student data to OSP; (2) Amends section 202 by adding a parent representative to the group that will create models for implementing the new teacher and principal evaluation system, student growth tools, professional development programs, and evaluator training for classroom teachers and principals. The parent representative must have certain specified qualities and will be chosen by the PTA using a lottery system; (3) Moves the phrase addressing professional development so that it applies to both closing the achievement gap and STEM; and (4) Amends the evaluation criteria for classroom teachers in section 202 to include collaborating, not just communicating with parents and school community.

Senate Higher Education Ends Week Strong Moving Additional Legislation Forward

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At the end of the third week of the 2010 supplemental session, the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Committee held public hearings on three bills.

The Committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 6467. SB 6467 authorizes honorary degrees for students at the public, four-year institutions in Washington who were ordered into internment camps. Immediately following the public hearing, the Committee entered Executive Session and moved the bill to Senate Rules for consideration.

The Committee also heard Senate Bill 5237. Senate Bill 5237 would require Washington’s public, four-year institutions to develop three-year baccalaureate programs. Currently, 9% of Evergreen students, who begin as first-years, graduate within three years.

Language is being considered that would replace mandating language in the original bill with more permissive language and require the institutions to report their progress and plans to the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB).

The Council of Presidents testified in support of Senate Bill 5237 with the revised language.

Senate Higher Education Hears Financial Aid and Surcharge Legislation and Moves Other Bills

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The Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee heard two higher education related bills this afternoon and moved a handful of other bills while confirming several gubernatorial appointments.

Senate Bill 6409 would create the Washington Investment in Excellence Account. The account created in SB 6409 would be supported by lottery proceeds. The proceeds would be directed to recruit entrepreneurial researchers, innovation partnership zones, and research teams and financially support opportunity grants, educational opportunity grants, GET ready for math and science scholarships, passport to college promise, college bound scholarships, and the Washington promise scholarship.

Evergreen testified in support of SB 6409, encouraging lawmakers to ensure that the investment in financial aid identified in the bill is additive to the state’s current investment.

In addition substitute bill to Senate Bill 6358 was heard by the Committee. The substitute to Senate Bill 6358 requires four-year and two-year institutions to develop policies that ensure that students complete their programs in a timely manner in order to make the most efficient use of instructional resources and provide capacity within the institution for additional students. Sen. Kilmer, Chair and sponsor of the bill, struck prior language that would have placed a surcharge on students who do not complete their degrees in a timely manner in the substitute bill heard by the Committee.

The Committee also moved two higher education related bills out of committee and to the Rules Committee for consideration.

Substitute Senate Bill 6355, which implements the Higher Education Coordinating Board’s System Design recommendations, rewrites the intent of the original bill, does not subject the development of applied baccalaureates to appropriations, does not subject the expansion of applied baccalaureates to the major expansion process, changes the definition of “mission change” and “major expansion”, both major expansion and mission change are subject to the Higher Education Coordinating Board’s assessment and viability evaluation process, and makes eligible private, non-profit institutions for innovation incentive grants.

Substitute Senate Bill 6357 relating to the academic recognition of prior learning clarifies the policies on prior learning based upon prior experiences and adds the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board to the list of institutions to be consulted.

Finally, the Committee approved several gubernatorial appointments including three to The Evergreen State College Board of Trustees – Irene Gonzales, Dixon McReynolds, and the reappointment of Kristin Hayden.

T.G.I.F, Senate Committee Hears Purchasing Bill

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Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee met this afternoon. The bill of interest to Evergreen was Senate Bill 6413.

Senate Bill 6413 allows institutions of higher learning to purchase personal services; materials, supplies, or equipment; or information services made by state institutions of higher education by using contracts entered into by, for, or through group purchasing organizations.

Kathleen Haskett, Evergreen’s Purchasing & Contracts Manager, testified in support of SB 6413. She expanded on the changes the bill would provide for higher education purchasing policies and the potential costs savings to the institution.

Tuition the Topic of Conversation in the Senate

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The Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee held a public hearing this afternoon focused on tuition policy. Four bills held the attention of Committee Members and a packed hearing room for nearly three hours.

SB 6276 – Grants the University of Washington tuition-setting authority.

SB 6562 – Authorizes the governing boards of the four-year, public institutions to set tuition and fees for resident undergraduate students with constraints, requires institutions to develop performance agreements with the state, and increases the amount that institutions must maintain for financial aid.

SB 6509 – Modifies the current budget proposal process between the HECB and the institutions to include recommendations on tuition and fees.

SB 6625 – Changes higher education tuition and financial aid provisions.

Each of the Senate bills approached tuition policy in a different way, especially with regard to levels of flexibility, required financial aid investments, and the establishment of performance agreements between the four-year public institutions and the State of Washington.

Tuition Comparison

Students from across Washington expressed concerns regarding shifting tuition setting authority from the Legislature to the governing boards of the four-year, public institutions. Most students spoke in favor of SB 6509 and shared concerns about the three remaining bills. Students shared specific concerns with regard to SB 6562 including the high tuition cap,  lack of oversight in the bill, and exclusion of graduate tuition and fees.

The six presidents of the public baccalaureate institutions spoke as a panel to the bills and tuition policy overall.  Chair Kilmer captured the comments of the presidents well by restating five principles/themes he noted from their comments.

1.  Optimize the state investment in higher education.

2. Any tuition policy does not release the state from its responsibility to fund higher education.

3. The unique missions and students mixes of each institution must be acknowledged relative to state appropriations, tuition, and financial aid.

4. Tuition policy should provide limits that will allow students greater predictability and stability.

5. Accountability of the institutions is a critical component of any tuition policy dialogue.

In his comments to the Committee, President Purce acknowledged the major role tuition plays in our higher education funding structure and the  unprecedented economic times facing Washington, which will require non-traditional thinking and strategies to manage our public institutions.

Purce affirmed Evergreen’s long-held position on tuition by stating that the College believes that any conversation regarding higher education funding must integrate and acknowledge the interplay between state appropriations, financial aid, and tuition. In addition, he welcomed the active dialogue Evergreen is engaged in with  the other public, four-year institutions in Washington to move forward a policy by which higher education can have the tools necessary to manage in times of even more cuts this year and those projected for the 2011-13 biennium.

Purce echoed the need for the state and higher education to make a commitment to find a way(s) that recognize the different missions among the institutions, different student bodies, a strength of Washington’s higher education sector, and  meet the unusual circumstances we find ourselves in as a sector and as a state.

State Treasurer Jim McIntire provided his personal support for SB 6562. He stated that institutions should be responsible to set their own tuition prices that reflect the unique markets each institution works within. In addition, he recognized the limited authority provided in the bill to raise tuition, presence of accountability measures via performance agreements, and need to maintain the integrity and quality of Washington institutions of higher learning.

Ann Daley, Executive Director for the Higher Education Coordinating Board, discussed tuition policy within the context of the Board’s recent tuition policy study. She encouraged policymakers to aim to recalibrate the relationship between tuition, financial aid, and state approprations.

In addition, representatives from the Governor’s Office, League of Education Voters, business community, faculty, and the community colleges also testified to the need to protect the quality of higher education while keeping the doors open to students.

Senate Ways and Means Hears Furlough and Salary Bills

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Tuesday afternoon many state agencies, programs, and services were focused on the work of the Senate Ways & Means Committee.

Among the bills before the Committee this afternoon was Senate Bill 6503.

Senate Bill 6503 would:

– Direct state agencies to close one day per month from March 2010
through June 2011.

– Allow exemptions from statewide closure dates for state corrections and social service institutions, child protective services, law enforcement, military operations, emergency management, state parks and ferries, higher education classroom instruction, state liquor stores, unemployment insurance, workers compensation, state legislative agencies and the Office of Financial Management during legislative sessions, and employees necessary to protect state assets and public safety.

– Recognize that the state agency closures identified in the bill will result in the temporary layoff (furlough) and reduction of compensation of affected state employees.

In addition, the Committee heard public testimony on Senate Bill 6382 which extends the prohibition on salary and wage increases for exempt and Washington Management Service employees of state agencies and institutions of higher learning.

Representatives from higher education expressed concerns regarding the potential cost savings assumed by both bills as well as the difficulty in implementing the requirements of the bill.

Legislature Week 2: What is Happening

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Several work sessions and public hearings are scheduled on critical issues that impact higher education the second week of session. To learn more follow the links below.

This week the focus of the appropriations committees (i.e. Senate Ways & Means and House Ways & Means) will be a review of the Governor’s proposed supplemental budgets, both capital and operating.

In addition, the higher education policy committees (i.e. House Higher Education and Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development) plan to tackle several critical issues impacting Washington’s institutions of higher learning, including system design, tuition policy, and financial aid.