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1999 Session

Budget Amendments - HB1450 (Conference Report)

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Higher Ed Funding Policies Subcommittee

Item 1 #1c

Item 1 #1c

First Year - FY1999 Second Year - FY2000
Legislative Department
General Assembly of Virginia FY1999 $0 FY2000 $300,000 GF

Language
Page 4, line 5, strike "$23,685,747" and insert "$23,985,747".
Page 7, line 37, after "H." insert "1."
Page 7, line 42, strike "prior to the 1999 Session of the".
Page 7, line 43, strike " General Assembly".
Page 7, after line 60, insert:
"2.  The Joint Subcommittee Studying Higher Education Funding Policies shall conduct an assessment of the adequacy of the current educational and general funding levels for Virginia's public institutions of higher education. The assessment shall be used to develop guidelines against which to measure funding requests for higher education.  The assessment shall include, but not be limited to, the following components:
a) Updated student-to-faculty ratios based on current practice or industry norms.
b) Consideration of support staff needs, and the changing requirements of support staff due to technology and privatization of services previously performed by the institutions.
c) Costs of instruction, such as equipment, utilities, facilities maintenance, and other nonpersonal services expenses.
d)  Recognition of the individual mission of the institution, student characteristics, location, or other factors that may influence the costs of instruction.
e)  Benchmarking of the funding guidelines against a group of peer institutions, or other appropriate comparator group, to assess the validity of the guidelines.
f)  Means by which measures of institutional performance can be assessed and incorporated into funding and policy guidelines for higher education.
3.  The Joint Subcommittee Studying Higher Education Funding Policies shall develop a more precise methodology for determining funding needs at Virginia's public institutions of higher education related to enrollment growth.  The methodology should take into consideration that support staff and operations may need to be expanded when enrollment growth reaches certain levels.  Cost differentials between programs and level of students should be taken into consideration.  The subcommittee shall make its recommendations to the General Assembly by December 15, 1999.
4.  The Joint Subcommittee may seek support from the staff of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees, the public institutions of higher education, or other higher education or state agency representatives, as requested by the joint subcommittee.  At its discretion, the Joint Subcommittee may contract for consulting services.  Out of this appropriation, $300,000 is provided from the general fund in the second year to support the activities of the Joint Subcommittee.
5.  The work of the Joint Subcommittee shall be completed prior to the 2001 Session of the General Assembly.  The Joint Subcommittee shall provide an interim report prior to the 2000 Session of the General Assembly."


Explanation
(This amendment provides $300,000 from the general fund the second year to continue the Joint Subcommittee on Higher Education Funding Policies, and calls for an assessment of the adequacy of instructional funding at Virginia’s public institutions of higher education. The assessment would be used to develop guidelines for prospective funding. The amendment also calls for a new methodology for funding enrollment growth at Virginia’s public institutions of higher education. Currently, the Commonwealth lacks comprehensive funding guidelines for higher education, or an accepted methodology for funding new enrollments. This amendment is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee on Higher Education Funding Policies, comprised of four members of the Senate Finance Committee and four members of the House Appropriations Committee.)