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This week…

The ����ӰԺ House of Representatives held several hearings regarding higher education this week including a hearing on a performance funding model in which the University of ����ӰԺ System testified on. The ����ӰԺ House also held a subcommittee markup on education where the budget recommendations for the system largely went unchanged.

The ����ӰԺ Senate Education Committee held a hearing regarding Senator Moon’s bill that would ban those who were born as males from participating in female sports. This bill would apply to athletic teams in middle school, high school, and institutions of higher education.  

����ӰԺ House of Representatives

Performance Funding Formula
Representative Henderson introduced House Bill 2602, which will establish a performance funding formula for universities and two-year college systems. The House Higher Education Committee held a hearing on February 28, 2022. The University of ����ӰԺ System testified for informational purposes and reiterated that we would like to make sure that the bill focuses on student outcomes and student success. We would also like a seat at the table for ongoing changes and discussions regarding the text of this legislation.

Please see below for more detail regarding the portion of the bill that applies to universities.  

• The “University Rewarding Workforce Readiness Act” does the following:
  • Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development shall calculate a performance score for each university that is regulated by the Department. The department shall calculate this score by using the following indicators and corresponding weights.
    • 30% weight- average annual earnings of students who matriculated at the university six- and ten-years prior, are currently employed, and are not currently enrolled in postsecondary education
    • 25% weight- average annual earnings of students who are federal Pell Grant recipients and matriculated at the university six- and ten-years prior, are currently employed, and are not currently enrolled in postsecondary education
    • 25% weight- proportion of students who are federal Pell Grant recipients at the university
    • 15% weight- proportion of students who completed a bachelor's or master's degree in education, law enforcement, corrections, or social work at the university five years prior, and are currently employed in ����ӰԺ by an employer in the corresponding field.
    • 10% weight- proportion of students who graduated from the university one year prior and are enrolled in graduate education or employed in ����ӰԺ above the high school threshold earnings.

• The Department shall develop a performance funding formula, as detailed in the bill, that calculates a share of university funding by December 31, 2022. The performance funding formula shall:
  • Rely on the performance scores calculated
  • Weight the performance score for each university-by multiplying the university's performance score by the university's full-time equivalent enrollment
  • Average the current year's performance indicators for each university with the previous two years' performance indicators, creating three-year rolling averages
  • Adjust the earnings performance indicators with a cost-of-living index based on the university’s location.
• The General Assembly shall determine the allocation of university system funding through a phase-in schedule, from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2026.
• The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations may execute data sharing agreements with other states and the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development may use other means of collecting performance indicator data relevant to the performance funding formula.

Higher Education Funding
On Thursday, the Subcommittee on Appropriations for Education held a markup where committee members offered amendments to the budget proposal. The funding for the University of ����ӰԺ System went unchanged. There were accepted changes for financial aid programs specifically that would allow for an increase in funding for Access ����ӰԺ, which helps to provide need-based aid to our students.

����ӰԺ Senate

Sports
On Tuesday, the ����ӰԺ Senate Education Committee held a hearing regarding Senator Moon’s “Save Women’s Sports Act” (SB781). This bill would ban those who were born as males from participating in female sports. This bill would apply to athletic teams in middle school, high school, and institutions of higher education.