Kansas Association of Community College Trustees

KACCT Newsletter
February 18, 2005

700 S. W. Jackson, Ste. 1000, Topeka, Kansas 66603 - (785)-357-5156

Budget Deliberations Move Forward….Budget issues were on the table this week for community colleges.  On Monday, the Senate Ways & Means Committee met to hear the budget recommendation from the Subcommittee on Higher Education.  By a unanimous voice vote, the full committee approved an amendment offered by Sen. Ruth Teichman, R-Stafford, which would add $3.1 million for community colleges to offset the funding lost by buying down out-district from $12 to $6.  The committee report notes that it is their intent for this added funding to be disbursed based upon the amount of revenue that each institution receives from out-district tuition rather than include the money in the funding formula.  The committee supported Governor Sebelius’ recommendation to provide a $5.1 million operating grant for the colleges.

On Thursday the House Budget Education Committee heard testimony from Dr. Ed Berger, KACCT Finance Chairman, concerning community college funding.  Also testifying was the chairman of the Sedgwick County Commissioners and representatives from Wichita Area Technical School, and the Kansas Association of Counties, who all spoke in opposition to delaying the out-district tuition buy-down.  Rep. Carl Krehbiel, R-Moundridge, and Rep. Bill Feuerborn, D-Garnett, pointed out the bargain Sedgwick County residents are getting with out-district tuition compared to the mill levy in host counties and questioned why Sedgwick County students should not be paying for the privilege of attending a community college in another county.  The committee will deliberate at their meeting on Tuesday, February 22.

TB or Not TB….The Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare heard testimony this week on SB 217 which calls for the identification of individuals who may have infectious tuberculosis prior to entering an educational institution in Kansas.  According to Richard Morrissey, Interim Director of Health, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, 30 cases of TB have been diagnosed among students or faculty attending high schools, universities and colleges in the state in the past four years.  This accounts for 10 percent of all TB cases diagnosed in Kansas during the same time period.  The legislation would require each new student, staff or faculty member to complete a questionnaire aimed at identifying those who are at highest risk for tuberculosis.  Those identified would then be required to have an evaluation completed to rule out TB before enrolling or having contact with others as a staff or faculty member.  Those diagnosed with tuberculosis infection would be offered, but not required, to take preventive medications; those found to have tuberculosis disease, potentially very contagious, will be required to begin treatment as directed by Kansas law.

Regents Approve Higher Education Military Benefits….At their meeting this week, the Kansas Board of Regents formally endorsed Governor Kathleen Sebelius’ proposed Bill of Rights.  The Bill of Rights calls for, among other things, the Board of Regents to adopt a system-wide policy that requires the state’s public postsecondary institutions to provide a full tuition refund when a member of our nation’s armed forces, who is a student in one of those institutions, is called to active duty and must leave school.  The Board adopted a policy that meets this objective for the six state universities that it governs and asked the boards governing the 30 Regents’ coordinated institutions to adopt a similar policy for their institutions.  The Bill of Rights calls for legislative approval of tuition waivers for the dependents of Kansas residents who are killed in the line of duty while serving in the United States armed forces or Kansas National Guard (currently being addressed as HB 2072).  Additionally, it preserves the benefit of in-state tuition rates for the dependents of United States armed forces personnel regardless of the service member’s status changes due to reassignment as long as the student/dependent remains consecutively enrolled in the university (currently being addressed as HB 2234). The Board endorses both legislative proposals.

Secretary of Education Calls for Hard Data to Support Funding Proposals….If community colleges want funding for job-training and adult-education programs, they need to come prepared with data to prove their program’s value, according to Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling, who spoke at the National Legislative Seminar for community colleges in Washington , D.C. , earlier this week.  In a report featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education, it was noted that President Bush in his budget proposal of the week before had called for a 63 percent cut to adult-education programs through reductions in programs created by the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act.  Spelling believes community colleges have not provided enough hard data to prove the worth of their programs and suggested that the money might be more effectively used to increase federal support at the high school level to lessen the expense of remedial programs when these student enter a community college.

More K-12 Funding Talk….Add more K-12 funding proposals to the list of plans under consideration.  This week, the House Select Committee on School Finance were working on a proposal that would increase Basic State Aid Per Pupil by about $244 from the current $3,863 to at least $4,107 with no new money.   Last Friday, Sen. Nick Jordan, R-Shawnee, and Rep. Kenny Wilk, R-Lansing, announced their ten year school finance plan which calls for $114 million new money the first year from balances and cuts for Base State Aid Per Pupil and $97 million the second year.  At-risk funding would increase by 40 percent over two years, English as a Second Language would double in two years and Special Education would increase by $41.7 million over two years.  The Local Option Budget moves from 25 percent to 30 percent over three years.  

Coming Next Week….

Tuesday, February 22:   House Education Budget Subcommittee 1:30 p.m., Rm. 514-S - Budget deliberations

Important Resources to gather legislative and budget information:
www.accesskansas.org
www.kslegislature.org Kansas Legislature
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/ksleg/KLRD/klrd.html Legislative Research Department