Trending
BECKLEY -- With three meetings left and a report due to the governor in December, time is running out for the Blue Ribbon Commission on Four-Year Higher Education.
Members of the commission met Friday at Tamarack in Beckley to discuss the work of three subcommittees that are looking at ways to create efficiencies in the state's colleges and universities. The subcommittees are expected to wrap up their work by Thursday, Nov. 15.
Gary White, chair of the Finance Subcommittee, presented a report on a draft proposal to restore 17 percent of funding to the seven of the state's smaller colleges and universities cut by the Legislature over the last six years.
According to the proposal from the Finance Subcommittee, the commission would seek $10 million governor's contingency fund for the remainder of the fiscal year, and another $10 million from the Legislature in 2019-2020 fiscal year budget. The money would be distributed to seven schools (except for Marshall University, West Virginia University and WVU-controlled schools) based on a weighted number of full-time in-state students.
"We wanted to take a look at the funding situation, particularly for the regional schools who have unfortunately taken a greater loss as a result of the cuts in higher education and make a recommendation on what we may do in interim steps to help stabilize those institutions financially," White said.
White tried to walk back using the governor's contingency fund for the first $10 million, saying that was the subcommittee's intent to leave it up to the governor and the Legislature to find the source of funding.
"Those of us who know anything know that's not a practical approach," White said. "I want to make sure that the record is clear that our recommendation would be $10 million out of the current budget surplus."
However, audio from the subcommittee's meeting Oct. 22 confirmed that their goal was to ask for monies from the contingency fund.
"If it comes out of his contingency fund, which as far as I'm concerned is the only place it could come, that's one-time money," White said at Monday's subcommittee meeting. "Under that scenario the only thing they can count on is a one-time $10 million infusion. The rest is up to the Legislature. If it doesn't come from the contingency fund, you're in the hands of the Legislature."
In a press conference held in Charleston Thursday, Gov. Jim Justice said his office wouldn't be able to use the governor's contingency fund to pull out that much money at one time.
"I think within the governor's contingency fund there are different levels of funding that's in that fund...and $10 million, as far as I can access and touch tomorrow, probably exceeds what is there," Justice said.
"Most of the money is reserved for floods and big disasters that have to be matched," added Mike Hall, chief of staff to the governor. "That's why it's a contingency fund. The governor is perfectly correct. We're at an $8 million range for other more discretionary things. That would break the bank. I think we'll look other directions for the funding of higher ed."
Tracy Pellett, the president of Glenville State College, also pushed back against the recalibration formula, as the subcommittee proposal was called. Under the recalibration formula, Glenville State would receive $40,000 out of the $10 million. In an op-ed, Pellett said the recalibration formula was unfair to Glenville State.
"While several of the institutions represented on the Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission have proposed an increase to their state appropriation of approximately $10 million dollars (5 percent to 29 percent increase in state appropriation), there has been no corresponding proposal to decrease tuition and fees and other costs for students and families," Pellett wrote. "Leaving Glenville State out of any significant proposed increase in state funding damages the school financially when it can least afford it."
Another proposal looked at Friday from the Structure and Organizational Subcommittee would eliminate the Higher Education Policy Commission and would replace it with a service agency for higher education, with more power and autonomy given to the boards of governors at the state's colleges and universities. The governor and Legislature would provide regulatory oversight.
Drew Payne, the chair of the Structure and Organizational Subcommittee and the former chair of the WVU Board of Governors, held a discussion with the presidents of several state higher education institutions about what they would want to see from a new agency.
"There was a lot of agreement," Payne said. "Everyone is in 100 percent agreement that we need a service organization. They are interested in having more flexibility for their institutions. They have great confidence in their governing boards and some of the duplication...they'd like to be freed up similar to Marshall and WVU."
Michael Farrell, a Blue Ribbon Commission appointee and chairman of the HEPC, wrote a letter to fellow commission members Monday criticizing efforts by WVU President and blue ribbon commission co-chair Gordon Gee to eliminate or decrease funding to HEPC. Gee has been an outspoken opponent of the HEPC and the performance-based funding formula the Legislature has tasked it to develop.
"I acknowledge that co-chair Gee is not a fan of the HEPC. The inquiry does not end with his opposition," Farrell said. "The clamor that it oppressively governs WVU is wrong and not factually supportable. The WVU Board of Governors governs WVU."
The Blue Ribbon Commission will meet by conference call Nov. 15 and in person Nov. 27 in Bridgeport. The commission has until Dec. 10 to submit a final report to the governor.