COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Rep. Phyllis Kenney, Democratic Co-Chair and

Rep. Don Carlson, Republican Co-Chair

BILL ANALYSIS

HB 2874

Brief Description:  Creating a legislative task force on community and technical college tuition, residency, and compensation.

Background: The community and technical college system plays an important role in preparing a skilled workforce in Washington.  More than half of all adults in Washington have benefitted from the access to affordable education the community and technical colleges provide.  Tuition and the residency requirements play an important role in an individual=s decision to attend a community or technical college.

In order to keep pace with legislatively mandated enrollment increases in the face of low per-student funding, the community and technical colleges serve almost half of the students with part-time faculty, who are paid substantially less than the full-time faculty.  The colleges must struggle with the lower salaries while trying to recruit a qualified and diverse faculty, especially in the high demand occupations.

Summary: A task force on community and technical college tuition, residency, and compensation is established.  The task force shall be comprised of representatives from the House Higher Education Committee (two appointed by each co-chair, for a total of four), the House Appropriations Committee (one appointed by each co-chair, for a total of two), and nonvoting representatives from the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Higher Education Coordinating Board, and the Council of Presidents.

An interim study shall be conducted and focus on tuition, residency requirements, and employee compensation at the public community and technical colleges.  The focus of the study shall include:

     (1) What changes, if any, should be made in calculating tuition increases;

     (2) The impact of the state=s rules in setting in-state and out-of-state tuition at the community and technical colleges on the four-year baccalaureate and research institutions;

     (3) How the state=s residency requirements should be applied to enrollment in distance learning courses; and

     (4) The impact of salaries and compensation of faculty and staff, including part-time and adjunct employees, on recruiting and retaining faculty, especially in high demand disciplines.

A task force report is due to the Legislature by December 1, 2000.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on January 26, 2000.

Effective Date:  Take effect immediately.

Prepared for the House Higher Education Committee

by Tracey Taylor,(786-7196)

Office of Program Research

February 2, 2000