BILL REQ. #:  H-2502.1 

Read first time 04/05/11.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to a higher education performance advisory council; amending RCW 28B.76.200; adding a new section to chapter 28B.76 RCW; and providing expiration dates.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 28B.76.200 and 2007 c 458 s 201 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The board shall develop a statewide strategic master plan for higher education that proposes a vision and identifies measurable goals and priorities for the system of higher education in Washington state for a ten-year time period. The board shall update the statewide strategic master plan every four years. The plan shall address the goals of: (a) Expanding access; (b) using methods of educational delivery that are efficient, cost-effective, and productive to deliver modern educational programs; and (c) using performance measures to gauge the effectiveness of the state's progress towards meeting its higher education goals. The plan shall encompass all sectors of higher education, including the two-year system, workforce training, the four-year institutions, and financial aid. The board shall also specify strategies for expanding access, affordability, quality, efficiency, and accountability among the various institutions of higher education.
     (2) In developing the statewide strategic master plan for higher education, the board shall collaborate with the four-year institutions of higher education including the council of presidents, the community and technical college system, and, when appropriate, the workforce training and education coordinating board, the superintendent of public instruction, the independent higher education institutions, the business sector, and labor. The board shall identify and utilize models of regional planning and decision making before initiating a statewide planning process. The board shall also seek input from students, faculty organizations, community and business leaders in the state, members of the legislature, and the governor.
     (3) As a foundation for the statewide strategic master plan for higher education, the board shall review role and mission statements for each of the four-year institutions of higher education and the community and technical college system. The purpose of the review is to ensure institutional roles and missions are aligned with the overall state vision and priorities for higher education.
     (4) In assessing needs of the state's higher education system, the board should encourage partnerships, embrace innovation, and consider, analyze, and make recommendations concerning the following information:
     (a) Demographic, social, economic, and technological trends and their impact on service delivery for a twenty-year horizon;
     (b) The changing ethnic composition of the population and the special needs arising from those trends;
     (c) Business and industrial needs for a skilled workforce;
     (d) College attendance, retention, transfer, graduation, and dropout rates;
     (e) Needs and demands for basic and continuing education and opportunities for lifelong learning by individuals of all age groups;
     (f) Needs and demands for nontraditional populations including, but not limited to, adult learners; and
     (g) Needs and demands for access to higher education by placebound students and individuals in heavily populated areas underserved by public institutions.
     (5) The statewide strategic master plan for higher education shall include, but not be limited to, the following access and educational delivery items:
     (a) Recommendations based on enrollment forecasts and analysis of data about demand for higher education, and policies and actions to meet the goal of expanding access;
     (b) State and regional priorities for new or expanded degree programs or off-campus programs, including what models of service delivery may be most cost-effective;
     (c) Recommended policies or actions to improve the efficiency of student transfer and graduation or completion;
     (d) State and regional priorities for addressing needs in high-demand fields where enrollment access is limited and employers are experiencing difficulty finding enough qualified graduates to fill job openings;
     (e) Recommended tuition and fees policies and levels; and
     (f) Priorities and recommendations including increased transparency on financial aid.
     (6) The board shall present the vision, goals, priorities, and strategies in the statewide strategic master plan for higher education in a way that provides guidance for institutions, the governor, and the legislature to make further decisions regarding institution-level plans, policies, legislation, and operating and capital funding for higher education. In the statewide strategic master plan for higher education, the board shall recommend specific actions to be taken and identify measurable performance indicators and benchmarks for gauging progress toward achieving the goals and priorities.
     (7) Every four years by December 15th, beginning December 15, 2007, the board shall submit an update of the ten-year statewide strategic master plan for higher education to the governor and the legislature. The updated plan shall reflect the expectations and policy directions of the legislative higher education and fiscal committees, and shall provide a timely and relevant framework for the development of future budgets and policy proposals. The legislature shall, by concurrent resolution, approve or recommend changes to the updated plan, following public hearings. The board shall submit the final plan, incorporating legislative changes, to the governor and the legislature by June of the year in which the legislature approves the concurrent resolution. The plan shall then become state higher education policy unless legislation is enacted to alter the policies set forth in the plan. The board shall report annually to the governor and the legislature on the progress being made by the institutions of higher education and the state to implement the strategic master plan.
     (8) Each four-year institution shall develop an institution-level ten-year strategic plan that implements the vision, goals, priorities, and strategies within the statewide strategic master plan for higher education based on the institution's role and mission. Institutional strategic plans shall encourage partnerships, embrace innovation, and contain measurable performance indicators and benchmarks for gauging progress toward achieving the goals and priorities with attention given to the goals and strategies of increased access and program delivery methods. The board shall review the institution-level plans to ensure the plans are aligned with and implement the statewide strategic master plan for higher education and shall periodically monitor institutions' progress toward achieving the goals and priorities within their plans.
     (9) The board shall also review the comprehensive master plan prepared by the state board for community and technical colleges for the community and technical college system under RCW 28B.50.090 to ensure the plan is aligned with and implements the statewide strategic master plan for higher education.
     (10) The board shall consider the recommendations of the higher education performance advisory council established in section 2 of this act for incorporation in the strategic master plan.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28B.76 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) A higher education performance advisory council is established. The council shall be staffed by the board. The purpose of the council is to:
     (a) Advise the higher education coordinating board on the development and recommendations to be incorporated into the strategic master plan in RCW 28B.76.200;
     (b) Examine structural changes in higher education that will improve the governance structures and increase efficiencies in both administration and educational delivery, while maintaining high quality educational programs that can be incorporated into the strategic master plan in RCW 28B.76.200; and
     (c) Identify objectives for the public higher education system that provide the greatest benefits and that require public funding; and prioritize the identified objectives.
     (2) The higher education performance advisory council comprises the following members:
     (a) Four members of the house of representatives, with two members representing each of the major caucuses and appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives who shall select a cochair for the council;
     (b) Four members of the senate, with two members representing each of the major caucuses and appointed by the president of the senate who shall select a cochair for the council;
     (c) A representative of the higher education coordinating board; and
     (d) A representative of the state board for community and technical colleges.
     (3) The higher education performance advisory council shall meet at least four times per year in addition to at least two special meetings for advisory councilmembers to advise board members. The council shall consider input from the broad range of higher education stakeholders across the state.
     (4) Legislative members of the higher education performance advisory council shall serve without additional compensation but may be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120 while attending sessions of the council or on official business authorized by the board. Nonlegislative members of the council may be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
     (5) This section expires July 1, 2015.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   Section 1 of this act expires July 1, 2015.