January 26 , 2007, Ed. 3 |
Produced by the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges |
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This Week in Legislative Creating the Passport to College Promise program Higher Education budget and governance Expanding access to financial aid
Next week in Legislative Implementing Washington Learns Faculty increment bill Higher education meets economic development
Legislative Hotline Hearing Impaired Washington State TDD Relay Service Legislature’s Web site Governor’s Web site TVW Web site
Legislative News is published weekly during legislative sessions by the staff of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, 1300 Quince Street SE, PO Box 42495, Olympia, WA 98504-2495, telephone 360-704-4310, FAX 360-704-4415. Suzy Ames, editor
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Access, affordability and economic development messages delivered to trustees, presidents The Trustees Association of Community and Technical Colleges hosted four legislative speakers this week at their annual Legislative Contact Conference. Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez-Kenney, D-Seattle, distributed copies of House Bill 1096, which would broaden the concept of the Opportunity Grant pilot program to more students. She spoke of the success of the current pilot program and the importance of supporting students beyond tuition. “We need to think about the whole picture of what a student needs,” she stated. “This is what the Opportunity Grant does … it addresses the things students need to get in and out, so they can be successful.” Rep. Kenney said the bill would be passed out of the House Community and Economic Development and Trade Committee and encouraged trustees to speak to their Senate members about the importance of the grant and what it does for students. Sen. Paull Shin, D-Edmonds, echoed the importance of access for underserved students as he recalled his own educational experience as the adopted son of a United States service member, who was brought to America from Korea with limited education and language skills. “Now is my opportunity to pay back for the opportunities that were given to me,” he explained. He said his top priorities for higher education are accessibility, affordability and supporting faculty through adequate compensation. “I believe all students are teachable and capable of learning,” he said. “The community and technical colleges are the place to prepare for the future and for a global society.” The connection between education and economic development was a theme heard from Rep. Deb Wallace, D-Vancouver, as she outlined her priorities for higher education. “We need to provide good jobs for people and highly qualified employees for businesses,” she said. Among her other top priorities for higher education were governance, long-term planning, access, student transitions, education delivery and accountability. “We need to make sure we’re delivering education with 21st century methods,” she said. “And we need to be accountable … our performance outcomes affect all other aspects of our priorities.” Sen. Karen Fraser, D-Thurston County, both began and concluded her remarks with what she labeled her “applause statement,” that the Legislature would most likely not alter the governor’s capital budget recommendations for the two-year college system (to which, of course, she received thunderous applause). Sen. Fraser also spoke of the need to marry education and economic development goals and plan infrastructure to support those goals. This week, the House Higher Education and Senate Higher Education committees held public hearings on House Bill 1131 and companion Senate Bill 5155, which would create the Passport to College Promise program. The Passport to College Promise program provides outreach and information to foster youth who are 15 years and older about opportunities for higher education, including financial aid options. In addition, the program provides scholarships covering tuition and living expenses to eligible former foster youth between the ages 16 and 26 years to attend higher education for up to five consecutive years. The program also provides financial incentives to higher education institutions that enroll and retain eligible former foster youth. Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, said he decided to prime sponsor HB 1131 because the issue was so compelling. “These are really our kids,” he said. “As a state, we have a moral responsibility for making sure these kids are economically successful.” Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, the sponsor of the Senate Bill, talked about the ways education opens doors for foster youth that aren’t typically open to them. State Board member Reuven Carlyle testified on behalf of both the House and Senate bills. As a former foster child, Carlyle spoke passionately about the need for state government to do more to ensure the success of former foster youth. “Everyone is painfully aware of the outcome statistics for foster youth,” he said. “Only two percent of former foster youth graduate with a bachelor’s degree … double the number of foster youth go to prison than ever go to college.” Janice Avery, executive director, and Rob Credle, educational advocacy specialist for Treehouse, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting children and youth in foster care, spoke to the importance of outreach in a foster youth’s life to enter and be successful in higher education. “To have a post-secondary institution reaching out to them, holding on to them and being invested in them, which this incentive program does, will make a tremendous difference in graduating more young people and giving them the tools they need to be self-sufficient adults,” Avery said. Testimony was heard in both hearings from Daniel Stusser, a former foster parent to 22 foster children, and Adam Cornell, a former foster child and current chair of the Washington Commission for National and Community Service. “This bill not only provides that support monetarily … it does more than that,” Cornell stated. “It provides an expectation and helps to create a culture of thriving for kids in foster care … we need to start fostering this culture … for me, college was a way up and a way out.” At the Senate committee, Chereese Phillips, a University of Washington senior, spoke in favor of the bill as a former foster youth, “There’s such a great need for supplemental services to help navigate post-secondary education… finding the door can be the greatest challenge. This program will help alleviate that challenge.” Brigid McDevitt, director of student financial services and veterans’ affairs at Seattle Central Community College (SCCC) explained that her college had 90 orphaned or foster youth students who completed all of the requirements for entry and financial aid but never enrolled. Joan Ray, SCCC’s dean of student resources said the top barriers to success identified by counselors were affordability, work commitments, transportation, housing and healthcare. She believes the bill would help these students through financial assistance, mentors, transition assistance and keeping track of the students as they move through higher education. Additional supporting testimony was heard from Terry Teale, executive director for the Council of Presidents, and Betty Gebhardt, senior associate director of student financial assistance for the Higher Education Coordinating Board. Both expressed their support for the principles behind the bill and said they would continue to work with the bill’s sponsor to ensure the program aligns with current federal guidelines for financial aid. Sen. Paull Shin, D-Edmonds, spoke of the importance of this bill in supporting foster youth to be successful in life. “I’m convinced this is the right thing to do,” Shin said. He thanked Sen. Kilmer for bringing this bill before his committee. On Wednesday, House Bill 1131 was passed out of the House Higher Education Committee with no amendments. The Senate Ways and Means Committee reviewed the state of higher education funding, enrollment trends and tuition at its work session on Thursday. Sasha Sleiman, a student at Western Washington University, presented concerns about the affordability of higher education, the need for new buildings on campus, and support for childcare for students with children. Jodi Kline, student body president at Centralia College, spoke to the committee about the need for low tuition and ample financial aid, an online advising system and lower textbook prices. “Not raising the price of tuition for the next two years would have a large impact on the diversity of students we’ll get at our local community colleges,” Kline said. She described a sincere desire by students in her 18- to 24-year-old generation to attend college, but the cost makes it unrealistic. She said this is true for older, working adults too, who can’t access traditional financial aid while they balance school and work. Kline said that an online advising system will help students take the right classes, and make the time they meet face-to-face with an advisor more productive. Nathaniel Hong, an English instructor at Olympic College, spoke on behalf of the Washington Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. He expressed the need for a better balance between part-time and full-time faculty, more job opportunities for part-time faculty and greater job security. State Board Member Tom Koenninger described the State Board’s 10-year system direction and the goals that will help Washington be more prosperous. “We need to meet the needs of business and industry by providing them with the most highly skilled, innovative and entrepreneurial workforce possible,” Koenninger said. SBCTC Executive Director Charlie Earl noted several components of the governor’s budget proposal that meet the needs of community and technical colleges, including enrollment funding, particularly for high demand and basic skills, the freezing of tuition and the state money to backfill revenue from foregone tuition increases. Earl noted the need for additional faculty compensation to close the gap between full- and part-time faculty and for faculty increments. He described a need to enhance the job skills and customized training programs, classroom equipment and online learning programs. “We are now serving 9,200 FTEs over the Internet,” Earl said. “That’s two community colleges worth of credits. We have to build the systems around those technologically served students.” South Seattle Community College President Jill Wakefield described the need for increment funding for faculty. “Increment pay is one of the best recruitment and retention tools we have at our colleges,” Wakefield said. “They need to be available to all full- and part-time faculty.” Wakefield spoke to the numerous ways community and technical colleges have responded to request from the Legislature to provide high demand programs. The system is requesting $17 million for equipment to improve those programs. “If we want our students to get 21st century jobs, we can’t train them on 20th century equipment,” she said. Sen. Phil Rockefeller raised questions about the feasibility of paying for increment funding with the money from the tuition back-fill, as well as lack of funding in the governor’s budget proposal to fund the four applied bachelor’s degree programs for the second cohort of students. Olympic College Trustee Jim Robinson, president of the Trustees’ Association of Community and Technical Colleges, spoke to the committee on Tuesday, expressing support for the two-year colleges’ budget request. “As the institutions that serve over 60 percent of those students enrolled in higher education, we are working hard every day to meet the training needs of our communities – employers and students alike,” Robinson said. Karen Morse, president of Western Washington University, testified in support of long-term enrollment planning, high demand funding and the value of a liberal arts education. Mark Emmert, president of the University of Washington, was brief and succinct in his full support for the governor’s budget. Les Purce, president of The Evergreen State College, testified to the need for full financial aid for his students. Also testifying were: J.W. Harrington of the Council of Faculty Representation; and William Lyne, of the United Faculty of Washington State. Two-year college allocations and part-time faculty heard in House committee The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education held a work session Thursday regarding community and technical college allocation decisions and part-time faculty pay. SBCTC Director of Financial Services Mary Alice Grobins gave the committee an overview of the principles behind allocation decisions, how the State Board allocates funds to the colleges, and how the board measures accountability. Grobins outlined three major principles – economic development, student success and innovation – used by the State Board in guiding their planning and budget process. “As an example, one of the board’s strategic initiatives is to do a better job serving under-educated students,” she said. “We have targeted strategic enrollments where those populations of students live.” She spoke of the responsibility of the State Board in making sure funds and priorities earmarked by the Legislature are properly distributed among the two-year colleges, as well as the effectiveness of having a competitive process for high demand grant awards to respond to local business and industry needs. Lastly, Grobins talked about the quality of the two-year colleges’ data system and its links to K-12 and employment data. SBCTC Director of Human Resources John Boesenberg provided the committee with an overview of part-time faculty, stating that during any given quarter, the two-year college system employs about 5,200 part-time faculty to teach approximately 44 percent of state-funded courses. Of that number, approximately 275 instructors work at multiple college districts. “They’re essential to our system’s ability to serve students,” stated Boesenberg. “The employment of part-time faculty provides the added flexibility needed to achieve our assigned mission – to provide our citizens broad access to the educational opportunities needed in today’s and tomorrow’s economy.” He discussed the long-term issue of the Legislature providing adequate funding to maintain equitable and competitive salaries for part-time faculty. “While the Legislature hasn’t fully funded our requests totaling $96 million, funds and authority to spend local funds were provided and significant progress has been made,” he said. “The combination of local funds and the $24.5 million appropriated by the Legislature [over the past 10 years], improved part-time salaries from 42 percent to 58 percent of the full-time average – a 67 percent increase.” He said the goal of the State Board is to achieve pay equity with consideration of qualifications, experience and the assignment of teaching and non-teaching workloads. He urged the committee to consider supporting the State Board’s proposals for a salary study, part-time salary equity funds and full funding for increments. Representatives Deb Wallace, D-Vancouver, and Bill Fromhold, D-Vancouver, expressed support for the funding of the salary study. Keith Hoeller, representing the Washington Part-time Faculty Association, spoke of the disparity between full- and part-time faculty. “Teaching isn’t just about class hours,” Hoeller stated. “We deserve equal pay for equal work … and we deserve equal work.” Green River Community College United Faculty Coalition President Phil Jack said that while all groups agree on the problems with part-time faculty issues, their strategies are different. He spoke in support of Senate Bill 5514, which he said would provide for more full-time teaching opportunities and provide security for part-time faculty who don’t want to teach a full-time load. “It took 20 years to create our academic staffing crisis,” Jack stated. “But we are continuing to make progress.” Washington Learns and Higher ed governance reviewed in committee The House Higher Education Committee heard an overview of Washington Learns as it relates to higher education at its work session on Thursday. Denny Heck, chair of the higher education steering committee for Washington Learns, presented an overview of the report. He stressed the importance of looking at education through a holistic lens. He said the state can’t make significant changes in higher education without also touching K-12 and early learning. On that note, he referenced the importance of the Washington Guaranteed Scholarship Program, which is being considered by the Legislature. “We look in the eye of every seventh grader who is on free or reduced lunches or comes from a household with neither parent having a bachelor’s degree…[We say] we’re going to help you get through up to four years of training and education beyond high school.” The committee switched gears to learn about the variety of governance structures at the higher education institutions across the state. William Lyne, a professor Western Washington University and a representative of the United Faculty of Western Washington, described the active role of university professors in curriculum, but their limited ability to influence university governance. Ruth Windhover, higher education chair of the Washington Education Association and a faculty member at Highline Community College, also spoke on behalf of the American Federation of Teachers. She described the areas faculty can bargain locally, including wages, hours and working conditions. However, the faculty is restrained from bargaining for salary increases beyond the limit set by the Legislature and from additional increment funding even if state funding is not sufficient to fulfill the amount needed to pay all steps earned by faculty. Retirement funds also cannot be bargained, as they are determined by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, she said. Windhover noted the positive relationships that emerge between local unions, college presidents, trustees and the State Board by meeting regularly and working out issues collegially and cooperatively. Harlan Patterson, special assistant to the provost for strategy and budget at the University of Washington, and Ann Anderson, director of government relations at Central Washington University, described the governance structure at Washington’s regional and research universities. Anderson explained that each of the institutions has its own board of trustees, and it’s not a system like the community and technical colleges. Chris Reykdal, administrative services division director at the SBCTC, described the community and technical colleges as a system of massive inputs and very clear authorities. He described the history of the system, starting in the 1920s as rural colleges, and growing significantly in the 1950s and 1960s to serve the GIs coming home from the war and needing higher education. In 1967, the Legislature created a single two-year college system governed by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. “That Legislature said, ‘We wanted a single butt to kick,’” Reykdal said. The State Board is a nine-member board appointed by the governor with the authority to hire an executive director. They coordinate and develop a statewide budget proposal to submit to the Legislature. In turn, each college district has five trustees appointed by the governor, designed to be locally responsive and meet the needs of the economy. “The system was designed and funded at the time to be very flexible [and the money flows through the State Board to make that happen],” Reykdal said. “That’s the glue that makes everybody play.” The state’s funding structure was based on a flexible and responsive system that is reliant on part-time faculty in order to achieve that flexibility. It is reflected in the low funding per student, he added. “Funding those critical part-time faculty is a big problem for all of us,” Reykdal said. Randy Spaulding, director of academic affairs at the HECB, described his agency’s role in planning and policy leadership; policy analysis, setting goals for higher education, approving and reviewing bachelor’s programs, identifying budget priorities and administering the state financial aid programs. Aims McGuinness Jr., senior associate at the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, provided information to the committee via the telephone. He described how other states organize their higher education governance structures to provide legislators with context for Washington state’s system. Cost savings on course materials for community and technical college students The House Higher Education Committee held a public hearing on Monday to hear House Bill 1224, regarding cost savings on course materials for community and technical college students. Sponsored by Rep. Troy Kelley, D-Tacoma, the bill requires bookstores affiliated with community and technical colleges to: provide students the option of purchasing unbundled materials, disclose student costs to faculty and staff, disclose the difference between new and previous editions, promote and publicize book buyback programs, and disclose per-course costs. In addition, the bill requires faculty and staff to consider the least costly option when assigning course materials. SBCTC Director of Student Services Nani Jackins Park spoke in favor of the bill and said the 186 percent increase in textbook prices over the past 20 years has far outpaced student income over the same period. “Students, on average, pay over $1,000 per year on textbooks and other course materials,” she added. “This is roughly 40 percent of the cost of tuition.” Gavin Tucker, president of the student association at Spokane Community College, spoke in favor of the bill and stated that anything that can help make the cost of education more affordable for students is important and needed. This testimony was echoed by Sean Cooke, Pierce College student body president, as he shared with the committee a story about a fellow student who could not afford a $150 textbook for an entry-level math class. “I rack up credit card debt to afford my text books,” he added. “I spend the rest of the quarter trying to pay them off.” Wendy Rader-Konofalski, representing the Washington Education Association and American Federation of Teachers Washington, also spoke in favor of the bill. She recommended the addition of one amendment that would clarify that any rules promulgated by the governing board would be subject to the collective bargaining process. The companion bill, Senate Bill 5183, sponsored by Sen. Brian Hatfield, D- Raymond, was considered by the Senate Higher Education Committee on Wednesday morning. SBCTC Administrative Services Director Chris Reykdal spoke in support of the bill. Grays Harbor College Associated Student Body Vice President for Legislative Affairs Michael Treiber also testified in support of the bill. “The cost of books is acting as a gate-keeping force and a lot of people just can’t overcome that hurdle,” Treiber stated. Phil Jack, a representative of American Federation of Teachers Washington, requested an amendment be added requiring any new rules created by the boards of trustees to implement this law be subject to collective bargaining in relation to their impact on faculty. Sen. Paull Shin, D-Edmonds, delayed action on the bill and asked for AFT to work with State Board staff on the amendment. Expanding access to financial aid On Wednesday, the House Higher Education Committee held a public hearing on two bills that would expand access to financial aid for students. Sponsored by Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, D-Seattle, House Bill 1222 provides a sliding scale for the State Need Grant based on family income. In addition, the bill expands eligibility for the State Need Grant to students with up to 85 percent of the state median family income. Rep. Kenney explained the bill addresses the needs of students at the lower-middle income bracket by building in two additional income steps into the current award structure. “Using a sliding scale will allow students to still have support even if their income rises,” she said. John Klacik, Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) director of student financial assistance, said increasing eligibility from 65 percent to 85 percent of the state median income is attainable and urged committee members’ support for adequate funding. SBCTC Director of Student Services Nani Jackins Park spoke in favor of expanding the State Need Grant to serve a broader population of students. However, she asked the committee to consider a provision of the bill that would pro-rate the award for students attending less than full time. “Nearly all students must work to support their educational participation, and most of the low-income adults in the community and technical college system who are working to improve their job prospects are also juggling the financial demands of supporting their families,” she explained. “It is not always possible for them to enroll in full-time coursework.” Rep. Bob Hasegawa, D-Seattle, introduced House Bill 1179, allowing part-time students at postsecondary institutions to qualify for a State Need Grant. In 2005, the Legislature passed Substitute House Bill 1345, also sponsored by Rep. Hasegawa, directing the HECB to develop a two-year pilot project to assess the need for and feasibility of allowing students enrolled for at least four-quarter credits to be eligible for the State Need Grant. The pilot began in fall 2005 with nine institutions participating. “The HECB’s final report to the Legislature showed the program surpassed its expectations,” Rep. Hasegawa stated. House Bill 1179 reduces the minimum number of quarter credits a student must be enrolled to receive a State Need Grant, loan or aid from an institution’s financial aid fund from six to three (or the semester equivalent). It also allows students enrolled on a less-than-halftime basis to be eligible for a grant for one year even if the student has not yet matriculated into a program leading to a degree or certificate. It also allows institutions to give an eligible student a preliminary State Need Grant before the student has completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. SBCTC’s Jackins Park echoed her earlier testimony regarding increased access for part-time students and said allowing students to receive an award for up to one-year prior to beginning an eligible program of study will significantly expand the student population served by the State Need Grant. “Students taking pre-requisite courses before entering nursing programs are examples of the kinds of students who would benefit,” she explained. She also highlighted the benefits of allowing financial aid officers to award provisional grants to students as they file their FAFSAs. “We know that helping students be successful early on in their academic pathway has a very real impact on outcomes,” said Jackins Park. “Many students in our system make their decision to attend college after financial aid application deadlines have passed … it would be unfortunate for our first message to these students we’re working with to be, ‘Sorry, but you’re already behind.’” Deb Merle, Governor Gregoire’s higher education policy advisor, spoke in favor of the bill and urged the committee to keep the process as simple as possible for students. Specifically, she mentioned the length of time allowed for students working on pre-requisites for programs and the payback of any provisional grant if a student fails to complete their FAFSA application. Additional testimony in support was heard from Greg Scheiderer, director of government and public relations for the Independent Colleges of Washington; Bryce McKibben, representing the Associated Students of the University of Washington; Julie Japhet, HECB operations manager for student financial assistance; and Madeline Thompson, higher education policy analyst for the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board. Creation of the Washington Guaranteed Scholarship Program The Senate Higher Education Committee held a public hearing Wednesday on Senate Bill 5098, regarding the creation of the guaranteed opportunities scholarship. Sponsored by Sen. Phil Rockefeller, D-Kitsap County, the bill creates the Washington Guaranteed Scholarship Program. Seventh graders who receive free or reduced-price lunches or who will be first generation college students are eligible. To receive the scholarship, eligible students must be residents of the state. They also must pledge in seventh or eighth grade to maintain a C average and remain free of felony convictions through high school, and must graduate from a high school in Washington state. Recipients may receive no more than four full-time years’ worth of scholarship awards. Testifying in support of the bill, SBCTC Director of Administrative Services Chris Reykdal said the fiscal health of the state compels the two-year colleges to reach for students who have been underserved. “Half of future growth in the state’s population will be people of color, who historically have not benefited from higher education and will need access to it,” he said. “Senate Bill 5098 would provide a tremendous program that would reach out in a meaningful way to address that gap.” However, he said the first scholarships would not be awarded until 2012 and six years is too long to wait to address some of these problems and the economic needs of the state. Hearing Highlights: Centers of Excellence: aligning education and industry The Senate Higher Education Committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 5254, which authorizes a grant program for industry skill panels. Sponsor Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, introduced the bill by stating it is another way to align workforce and economic development. Barbara Hins-Turner, director of the Center of Excellence for Energy at Centralia College testified in favor of the bill. Hins-Turner said that Washington is leading the nation in developing skill standards for the industry and talked about the linkage between industry skill panels and Centers of Excellence. Bob Gunther of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 77 and Jay Pickett of Puget Sound Energy also testified in support of the bill. “It’s amazing how industries and community colleges form partnerships such as this,” said Sen. Paull Shin, D-Edmonds. College access for underserved populations The House Higher Education Committee held a work session on Monday to learn how underserved populations are accessing higher education. SBCTC Director of Education Services Jan Yoshiwara presented the findings of the State Board’s recent socioeconomic study. She explained the two-year college system is doing a good job providing access to all student groups across the state and will continue to work on strategies to boost participation from those most underserved. Yoshiwara also said the key question to ask about participation is not only who, but when students are coming to college. She reported that students from lower-income families are coming to college much later than students from middle-income families. The next phase of the socioeconomic study is to look at student outcomes and socioeconomic status and use the data to develop future policies to support student success. The vision of the two-year college system is to raise the education attainment of all residents of the state, she said. To do this, the system is supporting the expansion of financial aid for low-income working adults; freezing tuition to give the State Board time to analyze and propose new tuition policy; expanding integrated basic skills and workforce education (I-BEST) programs; and providing transfer pathways for technical degree graduates. Two-year colleges part of high demand strategy Rick Bender, president of the Washington State Labor Council, and Bob Drewel, executive director of the Puget Sound Regional Council, shared their views of the educational needs for the state on Monday before the House Appropriations Committee. Drewel shared the Prosperity Partnership’s Higher Education Working Group proposal to grow the number of high demand bachelor’s degrees and related associate degrees (see previous issue of Leg News for Hearing Highlight). Bender stated he was pleased to see the proposal highlight the important role community and technical colleges play in meeting the high demand needs of the state. He also asked the committee to keep in mind that 70 percent of the state’s young people are not headed toward a bachelor’s degree. “It’s clear that the state of Washington needs thousands and thousands of young people who are well prepared through apprenticeship training programs to enter the construction field,” he said. Aligning workforce and economic development On Tuesday, the Senate Economic Development, Trade and Management Committee held a public hearing on two bills sponsored by Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, related to aligning workforce and economic development. Senate Bill 5399 creates a working group to support economic clusters as an economic development tool and Senate Bill 5400 would align the Economic Development Commission and the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board. Steven VanAusdle, president of Walla Walla Community College, was asked by committee chair Sen. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup, to provide a context for aligning workforce and economic development. VanAusdle said that an innovative economy requires talent, investment and infrastructure, and he detailed a number of ways that Washington is working toward cluster-based strategies for regional economic development. Sen. Kastama asked if cluster strategies require the state pick industries that are winners and losers. VanAusdle replied that the role of workforce and economic development is to create the environment and incentives for the market to cultivate winning industries. Carolyn Cummins, policy associate with the State Board, testified in favor of SB 5399, stating that the coordinating work outlined in the bill is already in motion among a number of partners, including the State Board; the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board; Employment Security; and the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development. Don Bennett, interim director of the Workforce Board, also testified in favor of the bill. The Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development also signed in support of the bill. Higher education issues heard in House Appropriations Subcommittee The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education held a work session on Wednesday to hear staff overview of higher education and the governor’s budget request, as well as presentations on the interconnections with higher education and K-12 retention. Emma Oliver, a South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) graduate with an Associate in Science –Transfer degree, spoke of her educational experience starting at SPSCC in the GED program. She completed her bachelor’s degree at The Evergreen State College (TESC) and is now enrolled in the Master’s in Teaching program with a goal of being a math and chemistry teacher. Oliver spoke highly of her learning experience at both SPSCC and TESC. Kayeri Akweks, SBCTC online student services manager, described the unique tribal reservation-based online program that assists Grays Harbor Community College students in transferring to TESC. The program expanded this year from serving three tribes to serving nine western Washington tribes. Loretta Seppanen, SBCTC assistant director of educational services, shared information about pre-college course work in the two-year college system. She said the bulk of the cost of remediation is for older students – those more than three years out of high school taking math. Though recent high school graduates make up only a small portion of the remediation course work, more can be done to reduce their need for remediation. Funding the continuation of the Transition Math Project will allow colleges and universities to work together to develop and use common placement tests students could use for entrance at any college. Chris Reykdal, SBCTC director of administrative services, explained the value to students and the state of funding the Opportunity Grant Program. He shared initial evidence from the current 10 pilot projects that suggest the importance of providing full support, not the partial support available from current federal and state financial aid available for low income students. This would put them on a clear pathway from the beginning, starting from basic skills, to the minimum of the tipping point, including a path to a bachelor’s degree or beyond. Students are also provided counseling support at a level far above what is generally available in the two-year college system, which is making a substantial difference for students, he said. Higher Education Tuition Waivers The Senate Higher Education Committee met Wednesday to hear testimony on Senate Bill 5101. This bill would expand higher education tuition waivers to include teachers and certain certified instructional staff employed at public common and vocational schools. Waivers would be available only if courses are being taken for the purpose of meeting continuing education credits. Jennifer Wallace, director of government relations at The Evergreen State College, testified on behalf of the Council of Presidents and the six baccalaureate institutions. While applauding the intent of the bill, she raised the concern that since current RCWs provide waivers on a space-available basis and institutions are restricted by a state-imposed cap on waivers, creating a new one will reduce those in high priority categories such as veterans and outstanding scholars. It was suggested that the bill be amended to more specifically advance state policy goals. Wallace said, “In this case, we suggest that waivers be directed to the governor and Legislature’s goal of recruiting and retaining teacher shortage in high need areas. They also could be made available to existing teachers in a shortage area as a retention incentive.” The bill was delayed so an amendment could be written. Sales tax refunds for low-income students Senate Bill 5168, sponsored by Sen. Paull Shin, D-Edmonds, would allow resident taxpayers to apply for refunds of sales taxes if (1) they have qualified for the State Need Grant for higher education, or (2) are eligible for the federal food stamp program or state-funded basic food benefits. They must be enrolled in an institution eligible to serve students receiving financial aid under the federal Higher Education Act. Jim Thomas from the Department of Revenue (DOR) explained that DOR analysts and representatives from the Higher Education Coordinating Board worked together to come up with the number of students who might be eligible for this refund. They then determined the revenue loss to the general fund. In the 2007-09 biennium, Thomas said, the loss to the state general fund would be over $156 million due to the number of people who would be eligible for the refund and the cost to set up this program. SBCTC Administrative Service Director Chris Reykdal spoke in support of the bill, saying, “I know the fiscal note is big and will cause consternation, but this is important. In this state the lowest income quintile spends 10 percent of its income in taxes. The upper quintile spends 6.5 percent. Yet the participation rate in higher education of the lowest income group is substantially lower than the top.” More work will be done to amend SB 5168.
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