HOUSE BILL REPORT

EHCR 4433

BYRepresentatives Jacobsen, Miller, Nelson, Silver, Ebersole, Holland, Heavey, Prince, Cooper, Peery, Jesernig, K. Wilson, Appelwick,  Fox, Ferguson, S. Wilson, Unsoeld, Barnes, Basich, P. King, Dellwo, Dorn, Grimm, Spanel and May

Approving the master plan for higher education and establishing a study group.

House Committe on Higher Education

Majority Report:  Do pass with amendments.  (12)

      Signed by Representatives Jacobsen, Chair; Heavey, Vice Chair; Barnes, Basich, Fox, Jesernig, Miller, Nelson, Prince, Silver, Unsoeld and K. Wilson.

House Staff:Susan Hosch (786-7120)

AS PASSED HOUSE FEBRUARY 5, 1988

BACKGROUND:

The 1985 Legislature created the Higher Education Coordinating Board and assigned to the Board the responsibility for planning the state's future direction in higher education. The Board was directed by statute to develop and adopt a comprehensive master plan for higher education and to submit the plan to the Governor and the Legislature by December 1, 1987.  Following public hearings, the legislature is directed by statute to approve the plan or recommend changes to it, using a concurrent resolution. The master plan will then become higher education policy unless statutes are enacted to alter the plan.

The Washington State Master Plan for Higher Education is entitled BUILDING A SYSTEM: To be Among the Best.  The master plan is built on four foundation elements.  The cornerstones: increased access to urban areas, a new stable funding formula for colleges and universities, a system of institutional performance evaluation, and strengthened admission standards for the four-year universities and college.  The plan challenges the state to achieve one of the five best higher education systems in the nation by 1995 through efforts to accomplish the goals and implement the recommendations contained within the plan.

SUMMARY:

The Legislature commends the Higher Education Coordinating Board for the Board's high quality work, dedication and commitment in producing a new state master plan for higher education.

The legislature approves the following goals of the master plan: (1)  That Washington's system of higher education be among the best in the nation; (2)  That the system provide an opportunity for the pursuit of knowledge and cultural enrichment, develop social leadership, and foster economic development; (3)  That the system remove discriminatory barriers; (4)  That the system provide equitable and affordable access to postsecondary programs of study, with particular attention to serving place- bound adults in urban areas; (5)  That the system develop performance evaluation methods for assessing how well students are being educated, and for establishing a system of accountability; and (6)  That the system develop an admissions policy that strengthens education while preserving multiple points of access.

The legislature endorses the concept of a stable, reliable, and predictable approach to funding higher education, but defers implementation of any new funding mechanism until the Legislature completes a study of higher education funding policies and related issues.  Related issues include, but are not limited to: a state enrollment policy, appropriate quality comparison groups, state funding priorities and goals, and a process for evaluating educational service needs and establishing off-campus programs in underserved areas.

A special joint study group is established to review the components of the proposed SAFE funding approach, to recommend a methodology for funding higher education, and to address related matters.  The study group will consist of twelve members.  Four members, two from each caucus, will be selected by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.  Four members, two from each caucus, will be selected by the President of the Senate.  One member will represent the Office of Financial Management.  Three members will be appointed by the Governor, one of whom will be a member of the Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The study committee will report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature before the start of the regular legislative session in 1989.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Gorman Wong, Associated Students University of Washington; Elroy McDermott, Council of Faculty Representatives; Bob Thoeny, Higher Education Coordinating Board.

House Committee - Testified Against:      Quan Thai, Vietnamese Student Association, University of Washington.

House Committee - Testimony For:    The Higher Education Coordinating Board has created a master plan that provides increased access to state colleges and universities while promoting educational excellence and institutional accountability.  The Board followed an open and participatory planning process.  The plan begins to outline a blueprint the state can follow to make Washington's system of higher education one of the best in the nation.  The plan is a beginning step in creating that blueprint; biennial updates will help fill in the outline.  Passage of the concurrent resolution will provide an endorsement of the general direction the Board is taking, and will allow the Board to continue its planning efforts.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      Approving the plan without approving the funding proposal could be devastating.  The potential for enrollment reductions in the proposed SAFE funding formula are of great concern, and that part of the formula should be rejected.