FINAL BILL REPORT

SB 5678

                                  C 390 L 87

BYSenators Fleming, Patterson, Gaspard, Bauer, Tanner, Zimmerman and Bailey

Authorizing nonresident fees to be waived for deaf students at community colleges.

Senate Committee on Education

House Committe on Higher Education

Rereferred House Committee on Ways & Means

SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

BACKGROUND:

The Regional Education Program for Deaf Students was established in 1969 to provide hearing impaired students equal access to college level educational programs.  Based at Seattle Central Community College, the Program for Deaf Students is funded through a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education and has served more than 1000 students from 35 states and six foreign countries.

Deaf students begin the program by completing a one-quarter, self-contained preparatory program which provides them an opportunity to improve their academic skills and begin career exploration.  Then they are eligible to enroll in any of the more than 120 vocational/technical programs, academic/college transfer programs or specialized educational classes offered by the Seattle Community College District on its three campuses.  To complement their enrollment in regular (or mainstream) classes, deaf students are provided with specialized support services, including interpreting, note-taking, tutoring, counseling, academic advising and audiological services.

Students pay tuition to cover their educational costs and federal funds are provided to cover support services.

The regional program annually serves about 120 students, some of whom have multiple handicaps.  Between 40 and 55 students come from out of state and are required to pay an additional $2,055 in nonresident tuition and fees.  Many of these students receive complete or partial subsidy from their home states or the federal government. Seattle program managers claim that the dramatic increase in nonresident tuition rates in Washington in recent years has made human service counselors in other states reluctant to subsidize their students' entry into the program, which has caused a reduction in the number of students enrolled.  If that number continues to decline, the program may lose its annual federal subsidy of more than $598,000, a loss which would force the state to either absorb those costs or close the program.

SUMMARY:

Community college boards of trustees are permitted to waive the nonresident portion of tuition and fees for up to 40 percent of the students enrolled in the Regional Education Program for Deaf Students as long as federal funding of the program continues.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      Senate    49     0

      House 95   0 (House amended)

      Senate             (Senate refused to concur)

      House              (House refused to recede)

Free Conference Committee

      House 96   0

      Senate    46     0

EFFECTIVE:July 26, 1987