BILL REQ. #:  H-5076.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/05/08.   

     WHEREAS, Washington State is an economic leader in a globally competitive environment where human capital is becoming the prime currency; and
     WHEREAS, The legislature wishes to craft a vision for our education system that truly nurtures and develops each person to realize their limitless potential; and
     WHEREAS, Postsecondary education is the crowning jewel in our state's human capital development plan and it is the legislature's intent to focus on the long-term goal of providing the necessary levels of education to our residents required to catapult Washington into global educational leadership; and
     WHEREAS, This goal of providing the necessary levels of education will necessitate development of creative and visionary approaches to educational reform that include financing and revenue reform and implementation strategies to overcome the challenges in simultaneously funding all of the state's legitimate needs; and
     WHEREAS, The higher education coordinating board is charged under RCW 28B.76.200 with developing a statewide strategic master plan for higher education, encompassing all sectors including the two-year system, workforce training, the four-year institutions of higher education, and financial aid; and
     WHEREAS, The legislature enacted chapter 458, Laws of 2007, requiring the strategic master plan to present a vision, measurable goals, and priorities spanning a ten-year period of time, with strategies for expanding access, affordability, quality, efficiency, and accountability; and
     WHEREAS, The legislature supports taking the steps needed to implement this vision of global educational leadership and supports the incremental steps proposed in the strategic master plan to improve our higher education system so as not to fall behind the rest of the world as other countries rush to confront the same challenges; and
     WHEREAS, The legislature supports the short-term goals and policies embedded in the master plan that would create a higher education system grounded in equality, access, affordability, and accountability as well as promote economic growth and innovation; and
     WHEREAS, The legislature will continue to look at ways to improve Washington's system of higher education; and
     WHEREAS, The law provides that the legislature shall by concurrent resolution approve or recommend changes to the plan, following public hearings, after which the board shall incorporate legislative changes and adopt a final plan by June of the year in which the legislature passes the concurrent resolution; and
     WHEREAS, The higher education coordinating board, from February through November 2007, conducted regular public meetings of the board and the board's advisory council and in fall 2007 organized public forums and focus group meetings around the state bringing educational, business, and community leaders together to engage stakeholders and the public in developing ideas for the strategic master plan; and
     WHEREAS, The higher education coordinating board received input for the plan from a wide range of perspectives through presentations provided by leaders from the legislature, business, public and independent baccalaureate institutions of higher education, community and technical colleges, workforce training agencies, the common school system, and representatives of the governor, students, faculty, and communities of color, economists, and other experts; and
     WHEREAS, The final report issued by Washington Learns called for a world-class, learner-focused seamless educational system from preschool through higher education and articulated a vision for the improvement of educational attainment at all levels of educational system in the state of Washington, a vision that lies at the heart of the proposed 2008 update of the master plan submitted by the higher education coordinating board; and
     WHEREAS, The higher education coordinating board finds that while many of the world's developed nations have made huge gains in the educational attainment levels of their populations, the United States has not and Washingtonians aged twenty-five to thirty-four actually are less well-educated than Washingtonians aged forty-five to fifty-four; and
     WHEREAS, Demographic projections indicate the population of Washington will grow thirty-seven percent by the year 2030 while the state's population simultaneously becomes much more diverse; and
     WHEREAS, Over seventy percent of the workforce of the year 2030 is currently employed, and many will be required to upgrade their skills to keep up with technological and other workplace changes; and
     WHEREAS, One out of four people aged eighteen to twenty-four does not have a high school diploma and Washington's undereducated working population is equal in size to its next ten high school graduating classes; and
     WHEREAS, Global competition, process automation, the increased pace of technological change, and the progressively shortened life span of many products has and will continue to result in worker layoffs, and laid-off workers will need to retool their skills in order to be reemployed; and
     WHEREAS, Our growing economy also depends on a skilled workforce including workers who have completed certificates, associate degrees, and apprenticeship programs; and
     WHEREAS, Washington must attract annually to the state over thirty-six thousand people who hold at least a bachelor's degree in order to fill the jobs being created by the state's economy, a net in-migration of highly educated workers second among Washington's Global Challenge State peers, behind only California, which attracts about thirty-nine thousand similarly educated people annually; and
     WHEREAS, Depending on other states and nations to provide educational attainment levels necessary to fill the best jobs being created in Washington may not be a sustainable economic strategy and misses the opportunity to prepare Washington residents for some of the best jobs being created by Washington's economy; and
     WHEREAS, The higher education coordinating board recommends creating opportunities for Washington residents and fueling the growth of Washington's economy by increasing annual production of certificates and two-year degrees to an annual total of thirty-six thousand two hundred by 2018 and recommends increasing bachelor's degree production by 2018 to a benchmark level equal to the seventy-fifth percentile of degree production in the Global Challenge States and increasing advanced degree production to a benchmark level equal to the fiftieth percentile of degree production in the Global Challenge States; and
     WHEREAS, The proposed master plan update recommends raising educational attainment by addressing diversity, raising expectations in the common school system, promoting lifelong learning and improving affordable access, and recommends a series of strategies for promoting economic growth, innovation, and funding for accountability and results;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the House of Representatives of the state of Washington, the Senate concurring, That the following statements of legislative higher education policy intent be adopted:
     (1) Increase the number and percentage of racial minorities among staff and faculty at postsecondary institutions, as well as the number, percentage, and success rate of underrepresented students engaged in postsecondary education;
     (2) Provide students in public schools multiple pathways to complete postsecondary education and provide a system of mentoring and advising to assist students in their preparation for continued learning after high school;
     (3) Invest in teacher preparation (preservice and in-service) to produce early learning providers, K-12 school teachers, and administrators who can effectively engage families and communities to close the achievement gap and raise student proficiency in math, science, and other academic areas;
     (4) Maintain the state's leadership role in providing need-based financial aid by expanding and streamlining need-based financial aid programs to serve more low and middle-income students;
     (5) Reduce the barriers to access for higher education by providing an array of student support services including enhanced academic advising; providing clear information on admissions, financial aid, and transfer options; and providing support for high quality childcare;
     (6) Expand bachelor's and advanced degree programs in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and health sciences; and mid-level degree programs in the construction trades, health care, early childhood education, and other high-demand occupations;
     (7) Develop the capacity to respond to the flexible needs of nontraditional students, adult workers, and Washington businesses;
     (8) Encourage broad collaboration among all the state's institutions of higher learning and invest in university and college-based research and development that improves student learning in order to drive innovation and economic growth, and maximize technology transfer for commercialization;
     (9) Provide programs, degrees, and certificates that use industry best practices and an outcome-based approach for each academic subject offered including remedial and adult basic education;
     (10) Improve per-student funding levels consistent with Global Challenge State benchmarks established by chapter 151, Laws of 2007 and develop a new funding methodology that focuses state revenue on results;
     (11) Maximize the use of full-time faculty employment without hampering the institutions' ability to maintain an adequate level of flexibility and cost-effectiveness;
     (12) Create and maintain sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective facilities, technology, and programs that provide enhanced access and delivery of postsecondary education throughout the state;
     (13) Consider program capacity at public, independent, and career schools when determining the public investments that the higher education coordinating board recommends be made by the legislature for new program and facility development to meet the total demand for a skilled and educated workforce;
     (14) Modify and coordinate Washington's various postsecondary accountability systems to focus on monitoring progress toward achieving the policies adopted by the legislature as part of the strategic master plan for higher education in Washington; and
     (15) Maximize the use of state funding and review the cost of service delivery including innovative approaches used by other nations, such as a review of time to degree, credit hours required, and other methods to reduce cost while maintaining quality; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the statewide strategic master plan update submitted by the higher education coordinating board on December 15, 2007, be approved; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the higher education coordinating board shall actively involve public and independent two-year and four-year institutions of higher education, private vocational schools, the council of presidents, the independent colleges of Washington, the state board for community and technical colleges, the workforce training and education coordinating board, faculty from four-year institutions of higher education and the community and technical colleges, students, representatives of business and other interested stakeholders, the office of financial management, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, teachers and other representatives of the public school system, and appropriate committees of the legislature, in collaboratively refining the strategies and specifying next steps required to implement strategies recommended in the 2008 update of the master plan; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the higher education coordinating board shall report to the higher education committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate on progress implementing the 2008 update of the master plan by February 1, 2009.