April 27, 2007

Governor touts math and science at TCC

Monday, Governor Gregoire discussed the education accomplishments of the 2007 legislative session at Tacoma Community College.

“Washingtonians asked us to invest in and reform our education system.  We are delivering,” Gregoire said.  “We took major steps to improve math and science education, passed a long overdue tuition policy and raised teacher salaries.” 

The governor toured the new 77,200 square-foot science building, which is scheduled to open this fall, and includes classrooms, laboratory spaces, a greenhouse, faculty offices and study areas.

She then engaged in a roundtable discussion with students, business leaders, educators and legislators. They talked about the importance of math in high school and the available pathways for students to continue studying math and science in college.

Education improvements funded by the 2007 Legislature include:

• Increased math and science professional development for teachers;

• Support for expanded hands-on science learning;

• Help for students struggling to pass the WASL;

• Money to reward outstanding teachers, raise teacher pay and provide more equity among school districts;

• Adoption of international math and science standards, and linkage of math curriculum with state standards;

• Giving voters a chance to change the Constitutional levy approval requirements to simple majority;

• Establishment of the GET Ready for Math and Science Scholarship;

• Creating Opportunity Grants across the whole state to prepare low-income adults for the future workforce;

• Expanded eligibility for State Need Grants;

• Capping tuition increases at colleges and universities;

• Increasing access to colleges and universities;

• Establishing Washington College Bound Scholarships; and

• Raising faculty pay and improving equity.

House and Senate pass conference budget

The 2007 legislative session ended on a high note April 22 as the House and Senate passed operating and capital conference budgets heavy with investments aimed at increasing access to higher education.

The following are highlights for the two-year colleges:

Capital Conference Budget

The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges’ capital budget totaled $518.4 million, out of a total state capital budget of $4.3 billion. The higher education capital budget was split fairly evenly between two- and four-year institutions.

The SBCTC request list was totally funded, with the exception of the Repairs “B” projects.

Budgeted additions to the SBCTC original request include:

• $3.2 million for an inflation pool to assist major projects that will bid during the 2007-09 biennium. Budget language limits assistance to $750,000 for a single project, with a required match from other sources.

• The joint North Seattle Community College/Employment Security Department/Department of Social and Health Services Employment Resource Center, originally requested as a Certificate of Participation project, was included in the SBCTC budget as a state-funded, design phase project.

• $498,000 in the 2007 supplemental budget for emergency repairs at Grays Harbor College caused by damage from the winter storms.

Other capital items of interest:

• Snohomish, Island and Skagit Counties: $4 million was included in the Office of Financial Management (OFM) budget to plan a University of Washington branch campus, with a particular focus on science, technology, and engineering. Dollars will be used to recommend site selection criteria, design, and develop implementation plans with a final report due to OFM and legislative committees by June 1, 2008.

• The Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development budget includes the Painters’ request for $2 million for the Duwamish Education Center; $200,000 for the Washington State University/Shoreline Community College zero energy house; and $500,000 for the Chinese Garden at South Seattle Community College.

Operating Conference Budget

The conference budget represented a 21.1 percent increase over the two-year college systems’ current (2005-07) operating budget. Selected highlights include:

Tuition: The State Board is authorized to increase tuition by up to 2 percent per year next biennium. In addition, state funds equivalent to annual 1 percent increases were provided.

Enrollments: A total of 5,800 enrollments were funded as follows:

• 1,950 general enrollments at $5,600 each

• 1,300 high demand enrollments at $8,800 each

• 500 I-BEST enrollments at $9,800 each

• 300 apprenticeship enrollments at $6,300 each

• 250 early education and math focused enrollments at $5,600 each

• 1,250 ABE enrollments at $6,100 each

Compensation: For all employees: the 2007 1.6 percent one-time cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) was made permanent. For I-732 employees: COLAs of 3.7 percent for fiscal year 2008 and 2.8 percent for fiscal year 2009 were funded, effective July 1.  For non-I-732 represented employees: COLAs of 3.2 percent for fiscal year 2008 and 2.0 percent for fiscal year 2009 were funded, effective July 1. For non-represented employees: COLAs of 3.2 percent for fiscal year 2008 and 2.0 percent for fiscal year 2009 were funded effective September 1.

In addition, the budget included:

• $7.5 million for salary increments for full- and part-time faculty.

• $11.25 million for part-time faculty salary improvement.

Opportunity Grants: Funding in the amount of $15 million was provided for regional Opportunity Grants as described by Second Substitute House Bill 1096.

Grants are to support low income students who enroll in high demand programs. Grants pay for tuition and fees, books, tools and supplies. In addition, institutions will receive $1,500 for each full-time student with income below 200 percent of the federal poverty level for individualized support services. 

Equipment: Funding of $2 million was provided for professional and technical equipment purchases. 

Applied bachelor’s degree programs: Funding of $504,000 was provided for the second cohort of students in the four existing applied bachelor’s degree programs. In addition, $452,000 was appropriated for start-up and planning funds for two additional applied baccalaureate programs, one of which must be at a technical college.

Other Operating Budget Issues of Interest:

A number of financial aid appropriations are made in the Higher Education Coordinating Board budget, including:

• GET ready for math and science: $5 million

• Future Teacher scholarships – focus on math and science teachers: $1 million

• Passport to College Promise Scholarship for foster care youth: $2.686 million

• College Bound Scholarship – GET units starting with 7th and 8th grade low income students: $8.1 million

• Expansion of State Need Grant to 70 percent of median family income: $9.5 million

• Expansion of State Need Grant to less than half-time students: $1 million

Capital Facilities Study: Funding of $200,000 was also appropriated to the HECB for a study to be performed by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee, linking long-term enrollment projects with capital facility needs, and the technology applications and hardware capacity needed to deliver higher education programs. The report is due back to the Legislature by October, 2008.

State funding for COLAs for federally-funded child care workers: Funding of $2.2 million, limited to $25,000 per public university or college, was appropriated to the Department of Early Learning for collectively bargained employees of head start, childcare, and ECEAP programs.

Sine die and the “oh, so final” bill round-up

We think it was no great coincidence that sine die arrived the same week that Sanjaya got kicked off “American Idol.” It’s just another sad example of how all good things must come to an end. And yes, we’re sad. It’s been our pleasure to serve as your legislative reporters this session, but never fear! We’ll be back next year to cover the whole process all over again.

As our encore for faithful readers…here’s the very, very final re-cap of bills left standing for 2007:

High School Completion

House Bill 1051, expanding high school completion programs, was passed by the House and Senate, and delivered to the governor for signature.

Sponsored by Rep. Dave Upthegrove, D-Des Moines, the bill creates a pilot program at two community or technical colleges to allow students under 21 years old who have completed graduation requirements, except the Certificate of Academic Achievement, to enroll in a high school diploma program. The two colleges must be selected by June 30. Pilot colleges may contract with high schools to offer the program directly or join together to offer regional programs.

In conference committee, the bill was amended to require the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) to identify and analyze possible service delivery models, and report findings with an implementation plan to the Legislature by December 15.

Funding of $4 million was provided to OSPI in the conference budget to implement the bill.

A final progress report on the pilots is due December 2009.

Financial Aid

Second Substitute House Bill 1096, creating postsecondary Opportunity Grant programs, awaits the governor’s signature.

Sponsored by Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, D-Seattle, the bill directs the SBCTC to develop and implement the Opportunity Grant programs in partnership with business, labor, the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board and the Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The conference budget included $15 million to implement the program.

Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1131, creating the Passport to College Promise program, sponsored by Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, awaits the governor’s signature.

The bill creates a six-year pilot program to provide scholarships and student support services for students who emancipate from foster care at age 18, after having spent at least one year in foster care after their 16th birthday. The maximum annual scholarship amount will be equal to tuition and fees at the highest-priced state college or university.

The bill also requires the Department of Social and Health Services to establish procedures for helping the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) and institutions of higher education identify students who are eligible for assistance under the program.

In addition, the bill charges the HECB with developing a foster youth-specific Web site on college admission and financial aid processes, timelines and resources.

Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1179, allowing part-time students at postsecondary institutions to qualify for a State Need Grant, awaits the governor’s signature.

Sponsored by Rep. Bob Hasegawa, D-Seattle, the bill establishes a four-year pilot period during which students taking only three to five credits may be eligible for the State Need Grant, to the extent funds are specifically appropriated for that purpose.

Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5098, creating the Washington College Bound Scholarship program (originally entitled the Washington Guaranteed Scholarship program), awaits the governor’s signature.

Sponsored by Sen. Phil Rockefeller, D-Kitsap County, the bill authorizes the Higher Education Coordinating Board to purchase credits through the Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET) Program for 7th and 8th grade students who are eligible for free- or reduced-price lunch. Students must pledge they will graduate from high school with at least a C average and not have any felony convictions.

The scholarship would provide funding to cover the cost of the student’s tuition, fees, books and materials, minus the value of any other state financial aid received. The Higher Education Coordinating Board will administer the program.

Tuition waivers

Substitute Senate Bill 5101, sponsored by Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, awaits the governor’s signature.

The bill expands the eligibility for state employee college tuition waivers to include public school teachers and certificated instructional staff who hold, or are seeking, an endorsement and assignment in a state-identified shortage area.

Currently, state employees may be enrolled in a course on a “space available” basis and are charged $5 per class as a registration fee. Their enrollment information is not included in official state enrollment reports.

Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5002, sponsored by Sen. Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, awaits the governor’s signature.

The bill changes tuition waivers for families of fallen veterans and National Guard members to make them mandatory for certain children and spouses of veterans. Tuition and fees waived for children and surviving spouses of eligible veterans do not apply to the statutory tuition waiver limits placed on institutions.

WA Learns Recommendations

The House passed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5806, sponsored by Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, which implements the Washington Learns higher education recommendations to establish a statewide tuition policy and specified policy issues, was signed into law by Governor Chris Gregoire.

Under the new law, resident undergraduate tuition increases at each institution are limited to no more than seven percent per year.

Faculty/Labor

Substitute House Bill 2361, changing collective bargaining eligibility requirements for certain employees of higher education institutions and related boards, was signed into law by the governor.

Sponsored by Rep. Steve Conway, D-Tacoma, the bill provides collective bargaining rights to certain exempt employees in higher education. The substitute bill continues the exclusion of executive employees and their assistants, managers, confidential employees, and employees involved in human resources and labor relations.

Educational Programs

Second Substitute House Bill 1906, sponsored by Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, awaits the governor’s signature.

The bill will improve math and science education in the K-12 system and covers the main sections from the governor’s omnibus education bill.

The bill creates an after school math support program with community-based organizations; creates a math and science instructional coach program; requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt new math and science standards; requires the SBE to identify three math and science curricula for each grade span; creates two new alternative routes to teacher certification for math and science teachers; and requires the Transition Math Project to develop a common math readiness test (not a placement test) to be used by all colleges and universities as a measure of a students’ college readiness in math.

Substitute Senate Bill 5731, creating a committee on the education of students in high demand fields in both two- and four-year colleges, awaits the governor’s signature.

Sponsored by Sen. Paull Shin, D-Edmonds, the bill establishes a committee on the education of students in high demand fields.

The committee will consist of: two members of the House of Representatives; two members of the Senate; and one person each from the Higher Education Coordinating Board, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Washington State Labor Council, the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, the Council of Presidents, the Prosperity Partnership, and a graduate student member of the Washington Student Lobby.

Corrections/Education

Substitute House Bill 1319, sponsored by Rep. Al O’Brien, D-Mountlake Terrace, awaits the governor’s signature.

The bill expands the offense of stalking, at the felony level, to include the stalking of staff, including community college faculty and staff, who work in correctional facilities, municipal jails, criminal justice centers and Department of Corrections day reporting centers.

Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6157, sponsored by Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, increasing access and coordination of offender services in communities through inventories of services and community transition coordination network pilot programs, was delivered to the governor and awaits her signature.

In the education section of the bill, a postsecondary education degree program is created provided that funding for the program is allocated by the Legislature. Offenders must pay for the program themselves or may receive funding from a third party.

In addition, the Department of Corrections and the SBCTC are required to investigate and review methods to optimize education and vocational programming opportunities for offenders. The report is due to the governor and Legislature by July 2008.

Miscellaneous

Senate Bill 5759, sponsored by Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, was signed into law by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

The new law adds technical college trustees to the list of executive state officers who must file a statement of financial affairs. Community college trustees are already on the list.

When the technical colleges were merged into the community and technical college system, the Legislature failed to amend the Public Disclosure statutes to include technical colleges on the list of those required to file an F1 form.

Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5843, sponsored by Sen. Eric Oemig, D-Kirkland, regarding educational data and data systems, awaits the governor’s signature.

The bill includes the creation of an Education Data Center in the Office of Financial Management to conduct collaborative analyses of early learning, K-12 and higher education programs and issues.

Sixty-two trustees and State Board members confirmed by
the full Senate

The following trustees and State Board members were confirmed this session:

Update: it wouldn’t be session without those obscure bills…

To continue our long-standing tradition of demonstrating no bill flies under the radar of “Legislative News,” we are updating you on the status of our “official Washington state” bills introduced this session.

A bill so agreeable it never had an amendment, House Bill 1084, making the Lady Washington the official ship of the state of Washington, was passed and awaits the governor’s signature. (To be honest, we’re waiting for the backlash from the folks backing the “President Washington”…see the list below...this will be a fascinating one to watch!)

Also unanimously passed and awaiting the governor’s signature is House Bill 1069, which will designate the Pacific chorus frog as the state amphibian. (Thank goodness it was unanimous...those legislators sure are smart not to have voted against such a vocal creature! Can you imagine how loud it would be if all those chorus frogs got together in Olympia to lobby on behalf of the bill?)

Senate Bill 5064, designating the Garry Oak as the official oak tree of Washington state, was made into firewood by the Senate Rules Committee…sorry Garry Oak, maybe next year.

And last, but certainly not least, House Bill 1556 was signed into law by Gov. Chris Gregoire, making the Walla Walla Sweet Onion the official state vegetable. (Finally, our very own vegetable! Eat your potato-lovin hearts out, Idaho!)

In case you’ve forgotten and are actually interested, here are the other notable official state “somethings:”

The orca whale as the state mammal; apple as the fruit; steelhead trout as the fish; American Goldfinch as the bird; “Alki” as the motto; coast rhododendron as the flower; “The Evergreen State” as the nickname; western hemlock as the tree; “Washington, My Home” as the song; petrified wood as the gem; square dance as the dance; “President Washington” as the ship (Hmmm…HB 1084?); “Roll On, Columbia, Roll On” as the folk song; bluebunch wheatgrass as the grass; green darner dragonfly as the insect; and Columbian Mammoth as the fossil.

Oh yes, and “Louie Louie”, the official state rock song. Whew!

Have a great interim!