HOUSE BILL REPORT
SB 5463
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent. |
As Reported by House Committee On:
Higher Education
Education Appropriations & Oversight
Title: An act relating to common student identifiers for community and technical colleges.
Brief Description: Requiring the college board to establish minimum standards for common student identifiers.
Sponsors: Senators Kilmer, Becker, Kastama, Shin, Tom and White.
Brief History:
Committee Activity:
Higher Education: 3/14/11, 3/16/11 [DP];
Education Appropriations & Oversight: 3/24/11, 3/28/11 [DP].
Brief Summary of Bill |
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION |
Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 14 members: Representatives Seaquist, Chair; Carlyle, Vice Chair; Haler, Ranking Minority Member; Parker, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Buys, Fagan, Hasegawa, Jacks, Probst, Reykdal, Sells, Springer, Warnick and Zeiger.
Staff: Cece Clynch (786-7195).
Background:
The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) provides general supervision and sets policy direction for the community and technical college system. The SBCTC also allocates state resources to the colleges.
Among its specific responsibilities, the SBCTC must: (1) prepare a single system operating budget request and capital budget request for consideration by the Legislature; (2) disburse capital and operating funds appropriated by the Legislature to the college districts; (3) administer criteria for establishment of new colleges and for the modification of district boundary lines; (4) establish minimum standards for the operation of community and technical colleges with respect to personnel qualifications, budgeting, accounting, auditing, curriculum content, degree requirements, admission policies, and the eligibility of courses for state support; and (5) prepare a comprehensive master plan for community and technical college education.
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Summary of Bill:
The SBCTC must establish minimum standards for common student identifiers that students receive upon enrolling at any community or technical college. A student retains his or her common student identifier when transferring to any other college in the system.
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Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony:
(In support) A bill heard earlier, House Bill 1909 (HB 1909), had this possibility embedded in it. This is a good bill for students. Currently, a student is issued a student identification number upon enrollment at one college in the community and technical college system but then must receive and remember a new number when that student attends another college in the system. This bill promotes efficiency and will allow for easier headcounts since, with a single number per student, there will not be a need to "unduplicate" the count. Community and technical colleges are doing a good job at promoting efficiencies. This particular efficiency will ease transfers and avoid unnecessary administrative duplication. Currently, the system has 34 data bases. Roadmaps are being designed and Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL) code must be written to implement this bill, but it will be worth it. It is anticipated that this will be completed and implemented in the early fall of this year. Ultimately, the goal is to have a single, common student record for each student. There are plans to meet with the four-year schools regarding HB 1909 and collaboration.
(Opposed) None.
Persons Testifying: Senator Kilmer, prime sponsor; and Michael Scroggins, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS & OVERSIGHT |
Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 17 members: Representatives Haigh, Chair; Probst, Vice Chair; Anderson, Ranking Minority Member; Dammeier, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Dahlquist, Fagan, Frockt, Hargrove, Maxwell, Nealey, Orwall, Reykdal, Santos, Seaquist, Sells, Short and Stanford.
Staff: Trista Zugel (786-7157).
Summary of Recommendation of Committee On Education Appropriations & Oversight Compared to Recommendation of Committee On Higher Education:
No new changes were recommended.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony:
(In support) This will lead to greater efficiency in the community and technical college system. Community and technical colleges are doing a great job, and we should applaud them for that. We have passed legislation that directed them to spend more dollars on students, instead of administration. This bill will promote a greater efficiency by preventing the double count of students between community colleges.
This bill is good for students. This bill is good for efficiency and for data quality. It is a good first step to some of the things that you have been talking about. The schools are in 34 separate databases. Each school has its own range of nine digit numbers assigned to that college. When a student enrolls or when a student returns, the school looks up their number for that school. If a student enrolls in more than one college, the other schools do not see that because the databases do not talk to each other. About 15,000 students enroll in two or more colleges. That is not unusually high or low. We had 1,000 students who enrolled in three schools. These students have to remember multiple numbers for all their student activities. This bill addresses this by giving them the ability to have a common number. The community colleges are in old computer systems; the systems were built in the 1980s and they did not expect to have a common number. The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges does a lot of reporting for the Legislature and reports on a lot of trends, but they have to be very careful to remove duplicate records. This will take a lot of time to do. This has to be done every quarter. This will take care of that before the fact and save a lot of staff time. Ultimately they will move toward a common student record. This is a first step.
(Opposed) None.
Persons Testifying: Senator Kilmer, prime sponsor; and Mike Scroggins, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.