Senate Proposes Supplemental Budget

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Higher education takes a hit in the Washington Senate’s proposed FY11 supplemental budget. On Wednesday the Senate released their proposed supplemental budget and held a public hearing on the legislation.

Under the Senate’s proposal higher education funding is reduced in total by $27.412 million, including $25.4 million through a tuition transfer from the institutions -public 2-year and 4-year – to the Higher Education Coordinating Board for financial aid.

In addition, the proposed Senate supplemental budget would reduce funding to the Higher Education Coordinating Board ($909,000), Workforce Employment and Training (ESD) ($318,000), and the following HECB programs and services ($632,000): (1) College Readiness Program, (2) Health Sciences and Services Authority (HSSA), (3) student financial aid administration, and (4) the Technology Transformation Task Force. Finally, the proposed supplemental reduces the funds each four-year, public baccalaureate institution pays as members of the Council of presidents ($168,000).

In addition, the proposed supplemental budget makes reductions in several other parts of the state budget including the Basic Health Plan and the Disability Lifeline program.

Legislators are trying to close a $588 million shortfall in the fiscal year that ends this June. Neither of the proposed supplemental budgets closes the budget gap in the current fiscal year, both proposals leave an approximate $200 million shortfall. 

The Senate Ways & Means Committee will hold an Executive Session on the proposed supplemental budget at 3:30 this afternoon.

House and Senate Committees hear Governor’s Bill Implementing Task Force Recommendations

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The House Higher Education Committee and the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Committee held public hearings today on House Bill 1666. The legislation has yet to be assigned a bill number in the Senate.

As Gov. Chris Gregoire and the Task Force announced in December, the proposal would alter the policies that currently structure funding, transfer, and accountability for higher education in Washington.

The bill would set degree production targets to increase 27 percent over 2010 levels by 2018. In addition, the legislation establishes a state funding baseline, tuition flexibility and funding levels for four-year public baccalaureate institutions comparable to institutions in other states; creates an endowment for low and middle income students who wish to obtain a baccalaureate degree and a tax credit for businesses that contribute; adopts new performance measures for four-year public baccalaureate institutions and creates a program to incentivize progress; and requires the creation of a one year transferrable certificate and other measures to ease student transfer and increase recognition of prior learning.

Both committees heard from business, including the big ones (i.e. Microsoft and Boeing), members of the Task Force, faculty, and the institutions of higher education, including The Evergreen State College.  The testimony was clearly in favor of the work of the Task Force and the elevation of higher educatin in the minds of those in Olympia but was accompanied with the need to continue to work on the bill.

No further action is scheduled for the bill at this time.

Higher Education Opportunity Act Introduced in Washington

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Today Representative Carlyle, Vice Chair for House Higher Education, launched the Higher Education Opportunity Act.

Carlyle stated “the trend in the Legislature is to reduce funding for the institutions of higher education under the operating assumption that they can continue to absorb the cuts without measurable or meaningful consequences for students, faculty, families and supporters. The trend of decreasing state support and increasing tuition seems virtually unstoppable. The question is not whether this trend will continue but how we can get a handle on the negative consequences for the middle class and more intelligently manage this structural shift.”

The Higher Education Opportunity Act would: 

  • Tuition-Setting Authority: For a four year window between academic years 2011 and 2014, public baccalaureate institutions are granted full local authority to set tuition rates for all students. After that four year time frame, tuition-setting authority for in-state undergraduates reverts back to the Legislature.
  • Dramatically Increasing Financial Aid for the Middle Class: Fifty percent of all tuition raised above a 7 percent ‘base’ per year at public baccalaureate institutions must be protected, reserved and spent by the institutions to fund new financial aid to directly increase assistance for the middle class. This allows students from families earning from 70% of medium family income (about $56,000 for a family of four–the current level of aid) to 125% of medium family income can receive substantial financial aid to mitigate the negative effects of rising tuition.
  • Institute a Radical Commitment to the Leverage Federal Tax Credits and Incentives: Strong requirements are put in place for higher education institutions to inform, educate and reach out to students about highly valuable federal tax credits available to them such as the American Opportunity Tax Credit and the Lifelong Learning tax credit.
  • Acknowledging Multiple Kid Family Costs for the Middle Class: In assessing higher education financing challenges, the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) is required for the first time to consider family size as part of the family contribution for students of the state need grant, and is also required to establish criteria for awards that is not solely based on “first come, first served.”
  • Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET Program): The Committee on Advanced Tuition Payment (state treasurer, HECB director, OFM director, program participant and business rep) are required to review tuition levels and recommend a possible “GET II.”
  • Higher Education Institutional Accountability: The National Governor’s Association Complete to Compete Metrics are established in statute.
  • Eliminating Reports and Studies that are Duplicative or Unnecessary: Over the years the Legislature, Governor and boards have saddled the institutions with a huge number of reports, studies and data requests that may or may not be useful. This plan moves forward to eliminate the burden while keeping quality data available for public policy decision makers.

At a press conference this morning, Carlyle  shared that this legislation is a work in progress and needs time to ripen.  The bill is expected to be heard before the House Higher Educationo Committee next week.

House Higher Education Holds Public Hearings on Credit Related Legislation

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This the fourth week of session kicked off with a public hearing in House Higher Education on a handful of bill that could have impacts on the credits student earn for a higher education degree.

House Bill 1522 would require collaboration among higher education institutions and state agencies to incrase the number of students who receive credit for prior learning and increase the types of credits awarded for prior learning.

Evergreen testified in support of the legislation. Evergreen recognizes prior academic credit through the College’s Prior Learning from Experience (PLE) Program. Evergreen typically has 30 students a year enter our PLE program, and just over 20 a year finish with “extra” credits earned for their prior learning.  

Evergreen asked the Committee to clarify language regarding the goal to standardize programs to ensure the legislation will allow Evergreen to collaborate with the work group identified in this legislation and continue our current policy which we believe serves student well.

House Bill 1525 etablishes a work group to create a single set of common course numbers and common course descriptions for all common lower division courses at all public institutions of higher education. 

Evergreen testified in support of the intention of the bill to make transfer as seamless as possible, but asked to be exempted from the legislation because Evergreen does not offer courses and does not have course numbers. Instead, the College offers single, comprehensive programs rather than a series of separate courses.  In addition, we expressed concern that if directed to adopt courses and a numbering system, Evergreen would greatly restrict the transfer policy that is currently in place.

House Bill 1394 lifts restrictions on higher education institutions with respect to meetings, personal services contracts, equipment purchases, out-of-state travel and hiring.  The Evergreen State College signed-in to support this legislation but did not testify.

The Committee also moved several bills forward through the process for further consideration including:

  • House Bill 1221 – Regarding the rights of certain higher education students involved in military service
  • House Bill 1424 – Regarding administrative consistency in student financial aid programs.
  • House Bill 1425 – Concerning the HECB’s responsibilities with regard to health sciences and services authorities.

2011 Legislative Session: Week 4

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During the fourth week of the 2011 legislative session committees will continue to hold public hearings on proposed legislation.

This week the focus of the appropriations committees (i.e. Senate Ways & Means ,  House Ways & Means, House Education Appropriations, and House Capital Budget) will be on legislation that impacts the state’s revenues (i.e. tax exemptions), an overview of various human service and health programs, and a report on the economic and revenue forecast.

In addition, the higher education related committees (i.e. House Higher Education and  Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development) are scheduled for public hearings on a wide range of bills, including the Governor’s Higher Education Task Force recommendations, financial aid, transfer, and prior learning credits.

Budget Committees Focus on Issues that Impact Higher Education

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On Thursday the Budget Committees took up a range of issues that impact higher education.

Capital Budget
The House Capital Budget Committee held a public hearing on the Governor’s proposed capital budget for 2011-13. 

 The Governor’s proposed budget woud provide $17.2 million in new state funding for the Communications Laboratory Building Renovation, the Science Center Lab I Second Floor Renovation and Life Safety Code Compliance. Additionally, the Governor appropriates $8.2 million of Evergreen’s building account funds in the capital budget for a variety preventative maintence and building repairs.

John Hurley, Vice President for Finance and Administration testified for The Evergreen State College.

House Ways & Means
The House Ways & Means Committee held a work session on the Governor’s proposed biennial budget for higher education.

The Governor’s proposed biennial budget reduces state funding for Evergreen by 26.3% for the 2011-13 biennium. In addition, the proposed tuition revenue generated leaves Evergreen’s General Operating Fund budget in deficit. The Governor’s budget does not take into account costs associated with over-enrollments and assumes greater  tuition revenue raising capacity. Under this proposal tuition revenue represents 63% Evergreen’s budget compared to 57% last biennium.

Senate Ways & Means
The Senate Ways & Means Committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 5162 which would alter the current retire/rehire practices at higher education institutions in Washington.

Governance Focus of Work Session in the House

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This morning the House Higher Education Committee held a work session on higher education governance.

The hearing provided the first opportunity to hear about some of the details that can be expected in  the Governor’s legislation to reform current education structures in Washington. The bill to implement the Governor’s proposal for education governance reform is expected next week.

The Committee heard a presentation from Leslie Goldstein, higher education policy analyst for the Governor. She provided an overview of the process, intentions and goals with regard to the development of the Governor’s proposal to reform how education is structured.

In addition, the Committee heard several overviews regarding different governance structures in the United States and how higher education is currently structured from the Higher Education Coordinating Board and the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges.  

Note: All committee presentations can be found on the House Higher Education Committee’s website by clicking on Committee Meeting Documents, selecting the date and work session, and then selecting the presentation

House and Senate Higher Education Committees Hold Hearings on Bills

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This week both the House Higher Education Committee and the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee held public hearings on legislation referred to committee.

This morning the House Higher Education Committee held public hearings on four bills:

  • HB 1089 – Regarding instructional materials provided in a specialized format.
  • HB 1221 – Regarding the rights of certain higher education students involved in military service.
  • HB 1424 – Regarding administrative consistency in student financial aid programs.
  • HB 1425 – Concerning the higher education coordinating board’s responsibilities with regard to health sciences and services authorities.

The Evergreen State College testified in support of HB 1221, advocating for the predictability and stability this bill would offer veterans attending higher education institutions in Washington.

In the afternoon, the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee focused on higher education reform through governance.  The Committee held a public hearing on three bills that proposed different reforms to the state’s current higher education governance structure.

  • SB 5182 – Establishing the office of student financial assistance by eliminating the higher education coordinating board and transferring its functions to various entities.
  • SB 5107 – Creating efficiencies in the Washington state college and university system by consolidation.
  • SB 5108 – Abolishing the council of presidents.

The Evergreen State College, as the current Chair of the Council of Presidents, provided testimony on behalf of all the four-year, public institutions in opposition to abolishing the Council.