Kansas Association of Community College Trustees
700 SW Jackson, Suite 1000 • Topeka, KS 66603-3757 • 785-357-5156 • FAX 785-357-5157
• 19cc@kacct.org
Sheila Frahm, Executive Director
Policy
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700 S. W. Jackson, Ste. 1000, Topeka, Kansas 66603 - (785)-357-5156 |
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House Higher Ed Works
on Workforce Training Advisory….The
House Higher Education Committee heard testimony this week from Dr. Blake
Flanders, Director of Career and Technical Education, Board of Regents,
concerning HB 2065. The bill
would establish a business workforce training advisory group to exchange
information between the advisory group and the presidents of Kansas
community colleges and technical colleges.
This advisory group could provide recommendations to the Kansas Board
of Regents as Centers of Excellence for Workforce Development are
identified, Flanders noted. Other
opportunities would include giving direction towards increasing the capacity
of the technical training system through linkage of adult education programs
and workforce centers to existing postsecondary training programs while
encouraging the use of instruction through technology.
There were no opponents to the proposed legislation.
The committee will take action at a future meeting.
Update on Senate Bill
9.…Senate Bill 9, which would
repeal restrictions on community colleges wishing to contract with other
higher education institutions, has moved out of committee and is on the
Senate’s debate calendar. Other Issues of
Interest….Kansas lawmakers are
focusing on a number of important issues during this 2005 legislative
session. Making headlines this
week are: ź
Same Sex Marriage:
A proposed constitutional
resolution banning same-sex marriages, passed by the Senate during the first
week of the session, was approved with the necessary 2/3 vote in the House
this week. This puts the issue
on the April 5th statewide ballot. ź
K-12 Funding:
The Kansas Supreme Court
has given the legislature until April 12 to fix the current school funding
formula. At the heart of the
discussion are two major issues: determining
what is a suitable education and then, determining the actual cost
of providing a suitable education; including educating students with
different needs. Once
those two questions have been answered, legislators will be faced with a
greater dilemma, how to fund K-12 education.
According to an article in the Wichita Eagle, the state currently
spends $2.7 billion a year on schools, more than half of the general
operating budget. ź
Death Penalty:
The state’s 1994 death
penalty law is under fire by the courts who, in a 4-3 decision in December,
struck down the death penalty over a provision on how juries weigh evidence
for and against imposing a death sentence.
Some would like to see the law rewritten while others are urging that
the statute be repealed altogether. The
Senate Judiciary Committee is looking at a bill that would prevent
defendants from being sentenced to death after July 1, but would not commute
the existing death sentence for seven convicted killers currently held by
the state.
Address
Confirmation….For those who have
asked, we have confirmed a new address for Merle Hill, former Kansas
Association of Community College Executive Director: 7636 Quinto Drive,
Sarasota, FL 34238. Choosing a College That is Right for You….Students
assessing their options for college were encouraged to divide their
potential college choices into three categories in an article featured
this week in The Topeka Capital-Journal by Dr. Ira Stamm, a
local psychologist. He
suggested three categories
1. Reach schools:
schools a student would like to attend but may not have the grades
or
test scores. He
suggests applying to two in this category.
2. Happy schools:
schools where a student will find those with similar interests,
grades
and ACT/SAT scores. Apply
to three among these.
3. Safe schools:
a school that will seek out the student or is required to admit the
student by state law. Apply
to one. In preparation for the application process, Dr. Stamm encouraged
students to research the schools and looking at their acceptance rates.
He encouraged students to think about large vs. small, home or
away, liberal arts vs. specialty school and, most importantly, cost.
The Week Ahead….Committee
meetings of interest to community colleges scheduled next week include: Wednesday,
February 9: House Higher
Education 3:30 p.m., Rm. 231-N
HB 2070: Providing for an
annual assessment of non-main vs.
HB 2234: Relating to
state educational institutions, concerning tuition
Important Resources to gather legislative and budget
information:
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