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2023 Session

Budget Amendments - SB800 (Committee Approved)

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Technical Language Restorations and Updates (language only)

Item 1 #3s

Item 1 #3s

Legislative Department
General Assembly of Virginia

Language

Page 12, after line 34, insert:

"T.1. The Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees shall each appoint four members from their respective committees to a joint subcommittee to review public higher education funding policies and enrollment management and to make recommendations to their respective committees. The objective of the review is to develop policies and formulas to provide the public institutions of higher education with an equitable funding methodology that: (a) recognizes differences in institutional mission; (b) provides incentives for achievement and productivity; (c) recognizes enrollment management; and (d) establishes funding objectives in areas such as operations, financial aid, and the appropriate share of educational and general costs that should be borne by resident students. In addition, the review shall include the development of comparable cost data concerning the delivery of higher education through an analysis of the relationship of each public institution to its various national peers. The public institutions of higher education and the staff of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia are directed to provide technical assistance, as required, to the joint subcommittee.

2. The Joint Subcommittee on 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 cost models based on current practice or industry norms.

b) Consideration of support staff and the types of students served.

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 groups 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 on 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 management.

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.

5. The Joint Subcommittee is hereby continued to provide direction and oversight of higher education funding policies. The Joint Subcommittee shall review and articulate policies and funding methodologies on: (a) the appropriate share of educational and general costs that should be borne by students; (b) student financial aid; (c) undergraduate and graduate education funding; (d) first professional programs; (e) the mix of in-state and out-of-state students as it relates to tuition policy; (f) dual enrollment; and (g) and the viability of statewide articulation agreements between four-year and two-year public institutions.

6. a. It is the objective of the General Assembly that funding for Virginia's public colleges and universities shall be based on the framework and principles provided in the 2022 State Council of Higher report on Costs and Funding Needs and the funding guidelines outlined in the November 2001 report of the Joint Subcommittee on Higher Education Funding Policies.

b. The Joint Subcommittee shall coordinate with the State Council of Higher Education, the Secretary of Education, and the Department of Planning and Budget in incorporating the higher education funding guidelines into the development of budget recommendations. The Commission shall issue an interim report on October 15, 2023, and final report.

c. As part of its responsibilities to ensure the fair and equitable distribution and use of public funds among the public institutions of higher education, the State Council of Higher Education shall incorporate the funding guidelines established by the Joint Subcommittee into its budget recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly.


U.1. The Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees shall each appoint up to five members from their respective committees to a joint subcommittee to provide on-going direction and oversight of Standards of Quality funding cost policies and to make recommendations to their respective committees.

2. The Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education Funding shall: a) study the Commonwealth's use of the prevailing salary and cost approaches to funding the Standards of Quality, as compared with alternative approaches, such as a fixed point in time salary base that is increased annually by some minimum percentage or funding the national average teacher salary; and b) review the “federal revenue deduct" methodology, including the current use of a cap on the deduction; and c) review the methodology for establishing a consistent funding cap process for all state funded instructional and certain support positions.

3. The school divisions, the staff of the Virginia Department of Education, and staff of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, are directed to provide technical assistance, as required, to the joint subcommittee.


V.1.a. The Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees shall each appoint four members from their respective committees to a Joint Subcommittee on the Future Competitiveness of Virginia Higher Education to (a) review ways to maintain and improve the quality of higher education, while providing for broad access and affordability; (b) examine the impact of financial, demographic, and competitive changes on the sustainability of individual institutions and the system as a whole; (c) identify best practices to make the system more efficient, including shared services, institutional flexibility, and easily accessible academic pathways; (d) evaluate the use of distance education and online instruction across the Commonwealth and appropriate business models for such programs; (e) review current need-based financial aid programs and alternative models to best provide for student affordability and completion; (f) review the recommendations of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission on the study of the cost efficiency of higher education institutions and make recommendations to their respective committees on the implementation of those recommendations; (g) study the effectiveness and value of transfer students; (h) evaluate the effectiveness of dual enrollment in reducing the cost of higher education; and (i) study the effectiveness of preparing teachers to enter the K-12 system.

b. The Subcommittee will also conduct a focused review of access, affordability, quality, and autonomy issues related to Virginia's public higher education system. As part of that review the Subcommittee will explore ways to (a) improve the quality of higher education; (b) review the autonomy and flexibility granted to Virginia's public higher education institutions, including the history of restructuring and the expansion of autonomy; (c) examine access and affordability in higher education, including the cost of education and need-based financial aid programs; (d) review the impact of financial, demographic, and competitive changes on the sustainability of Virginia's public higher education system; and (e) identify any practices that would result in more efficient outcomes regarding cost and completion, including dual enrollment and online programs.

2. As the Joint Subcommittee conducts its analysis, it shall consider the mission, vision, goals and strategies outlined in the statewide strategic plan for higher education developed and approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, and endorsed by the General Assembly in House Joint Resolution 555 of the 2015 Session of the General Assembly.

3. As part of its deliberations, the Joint Subcommittee shall review alternative tuition and fee structures and programs that could result in lower costs to in-state undergraduate students.

4. The Joint Subcommittee may seek support and technical assistance from the staff of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees, the public institutions of higher education, the staff of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, and the staff of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Other state agency or higher education representatives shall provide support upon request. At its discretion, the Joint Subcommittee may contract for consulting services.

5. The members of the Joint Subcommittee shall provide a final report to their respective committees at the conclusion of the review."



Explanation

(This amendment restores language that was inadvertently removed as part of the introduced budget in the 2022 Session.)