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Higher education funding bill moves on without Rucker’s vote

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state Senate version of the performance-based higher education funding formula bill is moving on to the House of Delegates after approval Thursday without a ‘yes’ vote from Senate Education Committee Chair Patricia Rucker.

Sen. Patricia Rucker,

SB 550 gives rule-marking authority to higher education leaders to establish a funding formula for the state’s four-year and two-year colleges and universities. The presidents on 19 campuses have already agreed to what the funding formula would look like.

The Senate bill does include a provision that would allow 4-year schools to create new academic programs without having to go through the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission or the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical Colleges. The programs would have to fall under the priorities included in the funding formula, like programs to train teachers and social workers, which are currently needs in the state. The exemption could only be gained if an individual school receives less than 40% of its operating expenses from the state.

The exemption was added when the bill was before the Senate Finance Committee last week. 

Rucker, R-Jefferson, unsuccessfully tried to amend the language out of the bill Thursday. Her proposed amendment lost on a voice vote and then an attempt to reconsider that vote also failed.

Rucker then voted against the bill.

Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker

The bill passed 28-6.

Higher Education Chancellor Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker said she’s thankful to get the bill through one side of the legislature with 30 days left in the session.

“I think this is the fourth time we’ve worked at trying to get a funding formula through. It passed a major hurdle and I’m thankful for it,” Tucker told MetroNews.

The funding formula sets up a process where institutions are competing against themselves instead of one another, Tucker said.

“If an institution does better on the metrics that are outlined as being important to the state then we will recommend that that institution receives more money for having done a good job,” Tucker said. “If an institution falls back on those items that are important for the state then they will receive less money for the state.”

For years colleges and universities have entered the legislative session not knowing what their funding would be.

“Before they were competing against one another instead of competing against themselves and that set up a lot of tension,” Tucker said.

Brad Smith

Marshall University President Brad Smith spoke in glowing terms about the funding formula during remarks he made Thursday to members of the Marshall Board of Governors.

“We are encouraged by the performance funding formula,” Smith said. “Chancellor Tucker, our peers at the other institutions of higher learning did a lot of hard work here. We feel like it’s going to set the state up and higher education up for many years to come.”

The House of Delegates has a similar version of the bill. The House Finance Committee passed the bill Wednesday. HB 4008 does not include the exemption language that’s in the Senate bill.





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