A highlight during the week of January 25-29 was the appearance of Dr. Glenn DuBois, Dr. Deborah DiCroce of Tidewater Community College, and Dr. Robert Templin of Northern Virginia Community College  before the Education Subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee on January 26. The trio highlighted the goals contained in Achieve 2015 as well as the fiscal challenges facing the VCCS due to unprecedented enrollment growth.  Their presentation was well-received by the members of the subcommittee.

In other activity this week, momentum picked up as committees started taking action on bills before them.

SB 534 (McDougle), which would eliminate the VCCS, Chancellor and State Board as well as the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia was heard on January 28 before the Higher Education Subcommittee of the Senate Education and Health. The patron presented a substitute bill to the subcommittee which he explained would no longer affect the VCCS but would still eliminate SCHEV. The subcommittee voted 3-2 to recommend to the full committee that the bill be passed by indefinitely. This recommendation will be presented to the full committee on February 4. Another bill which calls for the elimination of SCHEV is HB 1016 (Hugo); this bill was heard by the Higher Education Subcommittee of the House Education Committee on January 26 and its members recommend that the bill be carried over to 2011.

SB 182 (Stosch) was reported unanimously from the Senate Finance Committee on January 27 and passed the Senate on second reading today. This bill lowers the grade point average for students eligible for the community college transfer grant from 3.0 to 2.5 and will make approximately 1,400 more students eligible for the transfer grant. At the present time, the transfer grant awards a $1,000 base amount to eligible community college students who obtain an associate degree and an additional $1,000 to students studying science, teaching, engineering, math, and nursing. The estimated fiscal impact is $520,000 based on estimated participation and enrollment in science, teaching, engineering, math and nursing. However, new money is not required as the $520,000 is able to be accommodated in the existing allocation established for the program.

SB 323 (Ruff) changes the name of the Secretary of Education to the Secretary of Education and Workforce Development. This bill passed the Senate on January 26 and is awaiting assignment to a House committee.

The community college scholarship match bills had different reactions this week in their houses of origin.

The Higher Education Subcommittee of the House Education Committee heard HB 961 (Crockett-Stark) on January 26. The legislation would establish a community college scholarship match program for the state to match, on a dollar for dollar basis up to $5 million annually, donations raised privately by the VFCCE and the 23 community colleges’ foundations for students studying in the high-demand fields of science, technology, teaching, engineering, math, and nursing. The subcommittee chair, Delegate Thomas Rust, announced at the beginning of the subcommittee meeting that the state’s budget situation was dire and that none of the bills before the subcommittee with any fiscal impact would be advancing from the subcommittee or even carried over.  After the patron explained the bill and supporting testimony was offered, the bill was tabled by the subcommittee. Delegate Charles Carrico and Delegate Rosalyn Dance were chief co-patrons of  HB 961 and Delegates John O’Bannon and Benjamin Cline signed on as co-patrons.

SB 166 (Edwards), the Senate version of the scholarship match bill, was heard in the Senate Education and Health Committee on January 28. It received a favorable reception and was unanimously reported. It has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

There has been no activity on HB 1011 (Athey), which would allow Virginia’s community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees in nursing, education, applied technology and other high-demand fields. This bill has been assigned to the Higher Education Subcommittee of the House Education Committee.

Bills which would allow in-state tuition for dependents of Department of Defense civilian employees relocating to Virginia as a result of Base Realignment and Closure including HB 300, SB 312 and SB 544 were tabled or passed by indefinitely when heard this week.

Posted by Ellen Davenport