Tag Archives: state legislature

Senate Higher Education Committee Focuses on Impacts to Degrees and Programs

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This morning the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee convened a work session focused on the ebb and flow of curriculum at Washington’s higher education institutions.

Academic leaders from the six, public baccalaureate institutions and the community and technical colleges shared with the committee the degrees and courses universities and colleges have eliminated, added, or modified over the last five years.

Evergreen shared the dynamic nature of the College’s curriculum. Specifically the College spoke to what degrees have been eliminated and the significant modifications of existing degree programs over the last five years. Evergreen has not added any degree programs.

Evergreen also spoke to the impact of state funding reductions on academics. Evergreen highlighted that though the College’s dynamic curriculum has allowed the institution to respond as best it could, access, quality, flexibility, and time to degree all have been impacted significantly.

The Senate Committee will convene again on Tuesday, December 13 for a work session focused on efficiencies in higher education.

Senate Committee Tackles Student Financial Aid

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This afternoon the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee held a work session focused on student financial aid.

Committee members received an overview of Washington’s State Need Grant and State Work Study programs. In particular the Committee heard from the Higher Education Coordinating Board about who is served, how students are served, and the impact of budgetary and policy changes on students

In addition the HECB presented information to the Committee about student loan debt in Washington.

The work session concluded with dialogue between students and committee members regarding the impact of financial aid on students in Washington.

The next meeting of the Senate Committee is scheduled for Thursday, December 8. The Committee will focus on academic programs that have been eliminated, added or modified.

Higher Education Presents on Multiple Budgets

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This afternoon the public, baccaluareate institutions presented and testified on the future impacts of the operating budget and the capital budget.

Capital Budget

The four-year institutions were represented by the University of Washington and Evergreen before the House Capital Budget Committee.  Representing both the research and comprehensive institutions, the UW and John Hurley, VP for Finance & Administration at Evergreen, provided a joint presentation on the 10-year outlook for capital projects and funding at the six institutions.

The comprehensive institutions (EWU, WWU, CWU, and Evergreen) highlighted two major priorities over the next decade: (1) instructional needs will dominate capital projects and (2) the majority of minor works dollars from the state will focus on preservation and maintenance.

In addition the comprehensives spoke to the challenges reductions in state funds for capital and the downturn in the economy have had on institutional capital budgets. Among the challenges is the difficulty of modernizing instructional and lab space, reduced staff, and the need to move projects from the current biennium out to future biennia.

Finally the comprehensives highlighted the critical economic impact capital funding has on state and local economies, especially job creation and revenue.

Operating Budget

The four-year public higher education institutions testified with concerns regarding the Governor’s proposed supplemental budget for higher education before the House Education Appropriations and Oversight Committee.

The Governor’s proposed supplemental budget would reduce funding for Washington’s public baccalaureate institutions by double-digit percentages and suspend state work study.

Higher education representatives from the six public baccaluareate institutions in Washington, including The Evergreen State College, testified with concerns about further reductions to higher education and the impact on students.

Since 2008 state funding for Evergreen has declined by half.  To mitigate this dramatic loss of state funding over the last four years Evergreen has increased tuition by 70%, reduced institutional support (a.k.a. administration) by 32.3%, reduced the College’s workforce by over 8%, and suspended the Master of Education program and consolidate other programs among several other reductions and regorganizations.

Evergreen testified that further reductions would immediately impact students at the College. Over 80% of Evergreen’s students receive some form of financial aid, over 40% are low-income (at or below 150% of the federal poverty level), over 50% are community and technical college transfers, and nearly 30% are first-generation. 

Evergreen also expressed concerns about the impact of further reductions on the success of the College. Evergreen leads the public baccaluareate institutions in Washington in time to degree and is only behind the UW in four-year graduation rates.

Evergreen asked legislators in the coming months of budget discussions to: (1) Prioritize higher education in the budget, (2) Pursue a balanced approach to the budget, and (3) Remember that only six months ago the Legislature overhauled much of higher education, leaving little untouched with regard to policy changes and asked legislators to let these policy changes settle out and if new policy is considered to make sure it does not create new barriers to maximizing the success of students.

Senate Hears Governor’s Proposed Supplemental Budget for Education

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Today the Senate Ways & Means Committee held a public hearing on the Governor’s supplemental budget for education.

The Committee heard an overview from the Office of the Governor on the proposed supplemental. The Governor’s proposed supplemental budget would reduce funding for Washington’s public baccalaureate institutions by double-digit percentages and suspend state work study.

Higher education representatives from the six public baccaluareate institutions in Washington, including The Evergreen State College, testified with concerns about further reductions to higher education and the impact on students.

House Holds Public Hearing on Governor’s Supplemental Budget

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Yesterday the House Ways & Means Committee held a public hearing on the Governor’s supplemental budget.

The Governor’s proposed supplemental budget would reduce funding for Washington’s public baccalaureate institutions by double-digit percentages and suspend state work study.

Higher education representatives from the six public baccaluareate institutions in Washington, including The Evergreen State College, testified with concerns about further reductions to higher education and the impact on students.

Special Session Begins Today

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Today at Noon lawmakers will return to Olympia to begin a thirty-day special session focused on closing a $2 billion budget shortfall. The first week of the special session is packed full of work sessions and public hearings on the state budget.

November 28
The House Ways & Means Committee will hold a public hearing on the Governor’s proposed supplemental budget.

November 29
The House will convene for a floor session to take action on some early bills. On the Senate side the Ways & Means Committee will hold a work session on the Governor’s proposed supplemental budget. In addition a handful of Senate policy committees will convene.

November 30
Both the House and Senate will convene for a floor session. In addition policy committees in both chambers will meet. Finally the Senate Ways & Means Committee will hold a public hearing on the K-12 and higher education portions of the Governor’s supplemental budget.

December 1
Several appropriation and policy committees will convene. Of particular interest to higher education will be:

  •  A work session of the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee on the Governor’s proposed supplemental budget for higher education, a report on the GET program, and a report from the Higher Education Steering Committee tasked with developing a new state-level higher education entity.  
  • The House Capital Budget Committee will convene a work session that will focus in part on the ten-year capital needs of higher education institutions. 
  • The House Ways & Means Committee will hold a work session on the November economic and revenue forecast, the budget outlook for 2012 and the impact of recently passed initiatives on the operating budget.

December 2
The House Higher Education Committee will convene for a work session on the legislative priorities of the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB), State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, and the Public Baccaluareate Institutions. In addition the Committee will receive reports regarding the Higher Education Steering Committee’s work on a new state-level entity for higher education, the HECB’s work on the higher education master plan, and the community and technical colleges’ efficiencies efforts.

Finally the House Ways & Means Committee will convene to hold a public hearing on any bills referred to committee.

 

 

 

Third Meeting on Council of Higher Education Takes Place

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Last week the Governor convened the third meeting of the Higher Education Steering Committee charged to establish the Council for Higher Education.

The Committee received an overview from the Washington Educational Research and Data Center focused on the data the Center compiles across education sectors.

The Committee then delved into several critical unresolved topics with regard to a new state-level entity, including functions, goals, and structure.

Several representatives provided their views on the functions that a new entity should focus, including the four-year public baccalaureates and members of the committee. Among the functions identified for a state level entity were the analysis of outcomes and performance, long-range planning, information and advocacy, and consumer protection.

The Committee then spent a considerable amount of time hearing about and discussing potential goals and structures for the new Council of Higher Education. Committee members received a presentation by Aims McGuinness from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems on different proposals with regard to goals and structures.

McGuinness offered two options for goals to be tracked by a new state entity. Option A included goals ranging from college participation of recent high school graduates to degrees granted in high demand fields. Option B included the range of metrics in Option A plus additional goals that consider that all children that enter kindergarten healthy, and emotionally, socially, and cognitively ready to succeed in school and life and all students that leave high school demonstrate that they are college- and career-ready.

McGuinness also offered two alternatives for structuring a new state entity. The first alternative focuses on higher education. The intention would be to establish a higher education coordination and policy analysis entity that would focus on strategic planning and policy analysis, seamless student transitions, and program administration and oversight.

The second alternative would focus on all sectors of education. The intention would be to create an education coordination and policy analysis entity that focuses on the same functions as in the first alternative but extends to all sectors of education.

The Committee is scheduled to meet for its final meeting on November 15.

Governor Lays Out Budget Reduction Ideas for Legislature

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At a press conference Thursday, October 27, Gov. Chris Gregoire presented a list of approximatlely $4 billion in “budget reduction alternatives,” including her “preliminary choices” to bridge a projected $1.4 billion shortfall in the current biennium and provide for a reserve of $600 million for the remainder of the biennium.

In announcing her choices for $2 billion in reductions, transfers and eliminations, the governor noted that the upcoming November 17 revenue forecast was likely to bring more bad news so it was important to meet the projected gap as well as plan for the future.

For higher education, her preliminary choices list represents $174 million in cuts and eliminations, including a 15% reduction to institutions (both two-year and four-year) and the elimination of the State Work Study Program.

In addition the Governor identified other potential areas for reduction or elimination including elimination of the State Need Grant and reductions to institutions of up to 20%.

Staff to the governor and the state budget office indicated the governor believed it was important to lay out all the possible cuts to programs in the “unprotected” part of the state operating budget.  The governor’s press conference on TVW can be viewed here.

In a letter to the Washington Legislature the Governor identified the principles that guided the development of the budget alternatives.

  • Washington state’s economic recovery must be a top priority;
  • Washington’s children deserve the best public education we can provide to ensure their future success and that of our state;
  • Washington’s vulnerable citizens continue to need protection despite -and perhaps in part due to – these tough times;
  • Our citizens must be safe in their homes and communities;
  • Service delivery is a more important investment of declining tax dollars than is advocacy; and
  • These principles must evolve when funding is tight. Our citizens should be served to the best of  our ability with limited available funds.

She closed her letter to legislators by stating “I look forward to receiving your input in the next few weeks as we work together in the special session on behalf of the people of Washington”.

The Washington Legislature will return to Olympia to consider Governor Gregoire’s supplemental budget on November 28.

Higher Education Loses Strong Advocate

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Over the weekend it was announced that Washington State Senator Scott White passed away.  His passing is a great loss to higher education and the State of Washington.

Senator White was a strong and passionate advocate for higher education and Washington’s public baccalaureate institutions. He excelled at communicating complex policy issues on a personal and pragmatic level that was understood by multiple audiences. He was a positive and optimistic leader for higher education. His door was always open to all and he treated anyone who entered with respect, kindness, and a great sense of humor.

This is echoed in the many comments made by his colleagues over the last couple of days.

State Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, said White was a young politician that many viewed as having immense potential — perhaps someone to be in Congress or Senate Majority Leader. He worked well with people across the political spectrum and had a fresh approach to politics that the public desired, Murray said.

“What stood out was that he was ambitious but he was positive,” Murray said. “He wasn’t ambitious and divisive. Scott wanted to figure out how to be progressive and how to move forward in a positive way.”

Gov. Chris Gregoire said White was never afraid to tackle difficult problems.

“I found him to be an absolute pleasure to work with, and a legislator who served his district and the entire state well,” Gregoire said. “He had a bright and promising future ahead of him.”

White served one-term in the Washington House and then was elected to the Senate in 2010.  He represented the 46th District which covers northern parts of Seattle. During his time in the House White served as a member of the House Higher Education Committee. In the Senate, White served as a member of the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee,  as the Senate Majority Whip and Vice Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee.

Though Senator White was strongly committed  to his role as a Senator, White’s priority was his family. White is survived by his wife and two small children.

“Above all, Scott’s greatest legacy and source of pride was his family,” Sen. Derek Kilmer said. “He was deeply committed to his wife and two young children, and took great joy in the life they built together.” 

A public service for Senator White is expected this week.