Bills Stall That Would Set Community College Bachelor Degrees, Expand Tuition Grants

You'll want to remember this moment. Help us record what's happening in Decorah. Legislation to expand the degree offerings of community colleges and eligibility criteria for the Iowa Tuition Grant Program were left out of consideration Wednesday by the Iowa Senate Education Committee, potentially leaving them dead in the water for this legislative session.Committee chair Sen. Lynn Evans, R-Aurelia, said Wednesday afternoon that House File 2649 and Senate File 2250 did not see discussion by the committee because they "didn't have the support in caucus to move them forward to the committee." Evans said he doesn't "see those two coming back up again this year." Both bills were shelved after clearing subcommittees earlier in the day. Community college bachelor's degrees House File 2649 has seen support and criticism from different higher education systems and lawmakers. The proposal started out as a full allowance for community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees. Lawmakers limited the scope to a pilot program in which colleges can offer up to three programs in high-demand areas that can't be found at a different college campus within 50 miles. Differences of opinion as to what problem the legislation would be solving and whether it could potentially harm others persisted through the House and into bill's Senate subcommittee Wednesday. The panel was chaired by Sen. Tom Shipley, R-Nodaway, and joined by Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames and Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink, R-Fort Dodge. Quirmbach said the only problem he identified from listening to community college representatives, who spoke about lack of access in their areas to a bachelor's degree and their regions' workforce needs, is one of distance—something he said can be solved through online learning, hybrid courses, satellite campuses and other methods. He shared the concerns of private institutions fearing negative impacts of community college bachelor's degrees, saying that outside of Grinnell College, many private colleges and universities are "very dependent on ongoing tuition income." Quirmbach said he wouldn't want to see any of these institutions—many of which are important economic drivers in their communities—fall into financial danger. Bringing bachelor's degrees to community colleges could also be a costly and difficult lift, he said, as more faculty will need to be hired to teach upper-level courses, and it could jeopardize existing partnerships and programming between community colleges, state universities and private institutions. "I cannot support this bill. I think it's a really bad idea," Quirmbach said. "It's not just that I don't see it solving the problem that's mentioned; it has a lot of negative side effects." While Kraayenbrink agreed with Quirmbach's cost concerns, he said he doesn't believe competition would grow a lot between private and community colleges with the pilot program. However, he also doesn't want to see money going to out-of-state institutions with online or satellite programs in Iowa when it could instead go to community colleges here. With low transfer numbers from community colleges to private institutions and instances where community colleges already have supports in place for programs not offered by other institutions, he said it makes sense to allow those programs to expand rather than expect a university to launch an entirely new one. Iowa Tuition Grant expansion Senate File 2250 would expand the Iowa Tuition Grant Program to students enrolled in a "comprehensive transition and postsecondary program" offered by an institution of higher education in the state. The program currently provides state scholarships to Iowa students with financial need attending a private institution.These programs span degree, certificate and non-degree training "designed to support students with intellectual disabilities who want to continue academic, career and independent living instruction to prepare for gainful employment," the bill stated. It must be approved by the U.S. Department of Education and be offered at a college, university, trade school or other postsecondary institution. Having seen unanimous support in House debate, Senate lawmakers and those who spoke during public comment Wednesday expressed their preference that this bill instead be its own line item in the state budget to be funded. However, Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council lobbyist Carlyn Crowe said that path has been tried and led to a dead end in the Statehouse. Students involved in these programs, like UI REACH at the University of Iowa, are integrated with other students, live on campus and can take different kinds of courses, Crowe said, and they have grown in popularity over the past few years to the point of becoming competitive. "For those students, there is not an easy pathway to have financial aid. Because it is a certificate program and not a degree program, they're not eligible for student loans, they're not eligible for grants and scholarships that students with disabilities who are in a traditional college program are eligible for," Crowe said. "So that leaves a hole for these students that cannot be filled except with their parents' help or there's a small bit of help that may come from (vocational) rehab or other state programs." Service providers have said students who come out of these programs are more ready for work than their peers, said Amy Campbell, a lobbyist for different "community-based service providers" in Iowa. Of UI REACH graduates, Campbell said 92% find employment within one year of graduation and more than 60% of them live independently. Frank Chiodo, lobbyist for the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, said while the group is registered against the legislation, it is not "against the concept," agreeing that this support should remain separate from the Iowa Tuition Grant to not have two groups of students competing for the same pool of dollars. Not realizing the work had already been put in with no results, Sen. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport, said during the subcommittee that, in first reading the bill, she thought that these efforts needed their own line item in the state budget. Even if it can't be funded in its own right, Winckler said lawmakers still must support it. "They are valuable programs, not only for the families, but for the individuals who are going through the program," Winckler said. "The increase in self worth is significant, and I think that that's just a wonderful opportunity for them, and we need to figure out a way to do this." Sen. Mike Pike, R-Des Moines, agreed, saying it's a "fantastic idea" to support people with disabilities as they put in the work in these programs. Subcommittee chair Sen. Jeff Taylor, R-Sioux Center, said he was torn on the bill — seeing it as a possible sign of ongoing undervaluing of the Iowa Tuition Grant program and Iowa's private colleges and universities by Iowa House Republicans while knowing first-hand the difficulties of trying to get support for new program funding and the importance of supporting these students. "What I'd like to see is the budget increased for the Iowa Tuition Grant in a commensurate way, but then, you know, we don't have the ability as a subcommittee or committee to force the Senate and the House Budget chairs to do that for the full chambers," Taylor said. "So I want to continue the conversation and see if we can't find a path forward on this, because I think it's very important." Most bills passed by the House or Senate need approval by a full committee in the opposite chamber to remain alive for the rest of the legislative session. This second "funnel" deadline exempts appropriations and tax legislation and a few other types of bills. Bills that fail to meet the funnel can come back as amendments to other bills. Fresh stories, delivered! Sign up for the free DecorahNews.com newsletter and stay informed, inspired, and ahead of the curve.