Approved: February 19, 2019 MINUTES of the HOUSE
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Approved: February 19, 2019 MINUTES OF THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Troy Waymaster at 9:00 am on Wednesday, February 06, 2019, in room 112-N of the Capitol. All members were present except: Representative Brenda Landwehr – Excused Representative Bill Sutton – Excused Committee staff present: J.G. Scott, Legislative Research Department Jill Wolters, Office of Revisor of Statutes Kathy Holscher, Committee Assistant Shirley Morrow, Legislative Research Department Victoria Potts, Legislative Research Department Zach Fridell, Office of Revisor of Statutes Jeffrey House, Administrative Assistant Conferees appearing before the Committee: No conferees present Others in attendance: See Attached List Opening Remarks Chairman Waymaster called the meeting to order. Representative Carlin made a motion to approve the minutes from the January 30, 2019 committee meeting. Representative Johnson seconded the motion. Motion passed. Informational briefing: Blake Flanders, President, Kansas Board of Regents, discussed the roles and responsibilities of the Kansas Board of Regents(Attachment 1) . He stated that there is a good partnership with the independent institutions that are out of the regents' scope. He highlighted three strategic goals which included increasing higher education attainment, improved alignment of the state's higher education system and the needs of the economy, and ensure state university excellence. A review of educational attainment by county, transfer of courses and military credits followed. Employment and average wages, by degree, was reviewed. Educational trends have been accelerating and is more inline with the economy, he stated. Approximately 62 percent of the students with an associate's degree and 61 percent with a bachelor's degree stay in the state. He emphasized the need to recruit high school sophomore students early on as opposed to graduates. In addition, the board governs the six state Unless specifically noted, the individual remarks recorded herein have not been transcribed verbatim. Individual remarks as reported herein have not been submitted to the individuals appearing before the committee for editing or corrections. Page 1 CONTINUATION SHEET MINUTES of the Committee on Appropriations at 9:00 am on Wednesday, February 06, 2019, in room 112-N of the Capitol. universities and oversees the campus master plan 5-year capital project plans, discussion on indebtedness of each regent university on an annual basis and participate presentations to the Joint Committee on State Building Construction. Presently, there is approximates $900 million in deferred maintenance. Approximately $85 million goes towards deferred maintenance each year, of which $40 million is from the state's Educational Building Fund and the remaining amount from the universities, he stated. Since the great recession, Kansas remains at between the sixth or forth to the last compared to other states in funding higher education. The need to recruit in-state and out-of-state students, and the impact on the economic climate in Kansas was emphasized. He noted that the state universities all have good evaluations and have an A+ rating, A review of the one-year budget followed. The board has requested a $50 million in funding for base state funding for the universities and $7.2 million and $18 million for t tiered and non-tiered technical and community colleges. The Governor's Budget recommendation restores budget cuts of approximately .47 percent increase from prior years' legislation. He noted that the universities and parents are paying more for higher education, as opposed to a time with the State General Fund (SGF) was paying more than the parents and universities. The board continues to monitor university costs and maintaining excellence. Student financial aid as compared to other states was reviewed. Kansas Receives approximately $20 mill in comparison to neighboring states that are receiving between $68 million to $170 million. Blake Flanders responded to questions from committee members. He stated that last year there was approximately 11,600 students in the technical college and the program has been successful in exposing junior and senior high school students to careers at the post secondary level in career and technical education. The funding request for the technical colleges is $1.2 million, which funds enrollment for the same year as enrollments. The state pays for one ACT test and focuses on math, reading, science and language. Testing shows that half of the students based on 71 percent of the students that take the ACT test are ready for college level math and a little over one half are at the college level reading and based on an average of all four levels only 29 percent are college level ready. As requested additional information by school district will be forthcoming, he stated. Steve Scott, President,Pittsburg University, presented an overview of the university (Attachment 2). The university's mission statement, enrollment and budget information was reviewed. The FY 2009 total budget was $92 million and the total budget for FY 2019 is $109 million, which is barely keeping up with the cost of inflation, he noted. Budget issues included rising employee health insurance costs, and funding for capital improvements projects. A new doctorate for a Doctor/Nurse Practitioner program has been implemented and is proving to be very successful. The university is well-managed financially, and is a driver of job creation, economic growth and cultural development. Through private donations and city's investment, an event center, arts center and revitalization of downtown properties has been developed. With the restoration of base cuts from last year's budget, the university would expand workforce development and talent creation, implement entrepreneurial programs, and adopt new initiatives to mitigate college costs and debt. Richard Myers, President, Kansas State University, presented an overview of the university Unless specifically noted, the individual remarks recorded herein have not been transcribed verbatim. Individual remarks as reported herein have not been submitted to the individuals appearing before the committee for editing or corrections. Page 2 CONTINUATION SHEET MINUTES of the Committee on Appropriations at 9:00 am on Wednesday, February 06, 2019, in room 112-N of the Capitol. (Attachment 3). The university's mission is to foster excellent teaching, research and service. The university's state-wide reach included the Polytechnic program in Salina, an Innovation Campus in Olathe, the Global Campus, College of Veterinary Medicine, Research and Extension Centers, and Extension Offices in 105 counties. The Princeton Review ranked he university in the top 10 in the nation in various categories and Money magazine ranked the university as the top educational value in Kansas. Other university highlights included: 6 percent of 1028 Bachelor's graduates are employed in the field or furthering their education; the university was designated as an innovation and economic university; as well as a community development partner. He highlighted the success of bio-agri defense facility. Three key factors of higher education related to economic development and prosperity, higher education; innovation; and attracting new business. The university is requesting $50 million for the State General Fund (SGF) to address the needs of higher education. Tisa Mason, President and Tim Davis, Chair, Social Work, Fort Hays State University, presented an overview of the university (Attachment 4). This past year, the university was ranked as the 13th fastest growing master's institution in the nation.The university serves students world-wide through the virtual college online programs, US News and World rated the university the 5th lowest for in-state tuition and fees among public colleges and universities. Affordability has been achieved by serving more students and driving costs down through wind energy and PEAK Shaving project initiatives. Academic accomplishments included 100 percent pre-professional acceptance rate and communication sciences employment, and diagnostic medial sonography pass rate, NCLEX RN pass rate of 95 percent, and 96 percent career placement within six months of degree completion. Tim Davis reviewed the university's Social Work Program (See attachment 4). The program focuses on the needs of rural Kansans, with focus on practice issues, and expanding social work programs in two locations in the fall of 2019. Alyson Garrett,President, Emporia State University, presented an overview of the university (Attachment 5). The university is focused on forward progress for the state in order to address the challenge of a talent gap. New programs to address the business needs of the state include: Masters and Bachelor levels in Elementary Education; on-line teachers program; Information Technology; increased the undergraduate nursing program, and a master's degree in nursing. For every dollar invested in the Small Business Development Center, there is an $11 return on investment for economic development. The university also runs science and technology camps for encouraging Kansas kids that will be high demand careers, has strong placement rates, remains fairly affordable, has increased enrollment, and retention rate. Andy Schlaap, Chief of Staff, Wichita State University, presented an overview of the university (Attachment 6). The university's mission is to be an essential educational, cultural