Friday News Roundup: Week of April 25-29

Reconciling House and Senate Washington State budgets will take some work

North Dakota legislature approves higher education budget

New Pennsylvania tuition voucher bill would expand eligibility

Tuition at West Virginia public schools may increase

Reconciling House and Senate Washington State budgets will take some work
The Washington State House and Senate budget bills 2012-13 differ in some significant ways. One of the most challenging disparities is the way each bill makes cuts to the education budget. The Senate bill would cut K-12 teacher salaries by 3 percent, saving $250 million over two years. The House bill, on the other hand would cut three to five days from the school year. Senate bill proponents says that that House plan could end in a law suit over the constitutional requirement that the state provide full funding of basic education, which is defined as 180 days of instruction. House bill proponents say that the Senate bill is a non-starter because it would require districts to renegotiate teacher contracts. The two chambers have 30 days to settle their differences and produce a final bill. More here…

North Dakota legislature approves higher education budget
This week the North Dakota legislature passed a $754.4 million higher education budget for 2012. The budget provides several funding streams for the state’s higher education system including $15.2 million for equity and tuition affordability, which is $1.4 million less than in 2011. Campuses will receive the funding based on existing funding formulas. Previously, the legislature had provided separate funding streams for equity and affordability, ensuring that campuses would use some of the funds to reduce tuition costs. However, this budget provides a single funding source, meaning some campuses can choose to use the funding solely for equity purposes and not affordability. The budget bill does not include a 2.5 percent cap on tuition increases, as the governor had requested. This means campuses can raise tuition as they see fit. However, the Chancellor of the Board of Higher Education plans to recommend a 2.5 percent tuition cap. More here…

New Pennsylvania tuition voucher bill would expand eligibility
Pennsylvania Senate Republicans have introduced a new private school tuition voucher bill that would expand eligibility for the program but delay implementation. The new bill also places a smaller cap on state spending for the voucher program – $163 million by 2015-16 instead of $250 million. The bill would provide state money to families that choose to send their children to private schools. It would start with students who attend failing schools and are living under 130 percent of the poverty line. However, by 2015-16, any student who lives at 350 percent or below the poverty line would be eligible. Opponents of the bill favor increasing tax credits for business that support education grants. Currently that program provides $75 million annually in credits to businesses. More here…

Tuition at West Virginia public schools may increase
Today, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission will review and vote on tuition increases for the state’s public institutions of higher education for the 2011-12 school year. Proposed increases range from 3 percent at Fairmont State University to 9.5 percent at Concord University and Glenville State College. Last year, the Governor requested tuition freezes at all state universities. The Commission will not vote on increases at Marshall and West Virginia University because those institutions are currently allowed to determine their own tuition prices. Marshall will increase tuition by 6.8 percent and WVU by 4.9 percent. Next year, however, the Commission will also have jurisdiction over tuition increases at these schools due to a recently passed law. More here…