AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF Camille Preus for the degree of Doctor of Education in Education presented on December 18, 2007. Title: Two Oregon Governors: The Role of Perceptions in Community College State Budget Development Abstract approved: _____________________________________________________________________ Betty Duvall The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe how Oregon governors Barbara Roberts and John Kitzhaber, whose tenures both coincided with the passage and implementation of property tax limitation measures, determined the community college budgets within their recommended state budgets. The stories of Robert’s 1993 and Kitzhaber’s 2001 decisions are explored and analyzed to assess what influences, experiences, and information impacted each governor’s decision-making for community college funding. This study confirms the role of the governor in the budget decision-making process as one of ‘chief legislator’ or arbiter of the final budget. The findings call for community college leaders to get to know their governors and those individuals close to the governor who are responsible for providing advice on education and community college policies and budgets. Interactions should lead to a clear understanding of the administration’s policy priorities and the placement of education and community colleges among those priorities. Greater knowledge of the priorities will enable community college leaders to build a relationship grounded in a recognition and awareness of these priorities and provide the basis for influencing the governor’s overall perception of community colleges. Development of community college messages should be framed around the governor’s perceptions and priorities for optimal impact. This study finds that there are other influential players in the state-level budget development and decision-making process. As discussed above, the policy advisors close to the governor provided important influences of perception and decision- making. Community college leaders must build relationships with a governor’s education policy advisors, as they have access and opportunity to influence the governor’s perceptions and decisions, since they act as translators, interceptors and gatekeepers. Successful relationships with education policy advisors will lead to better understanding of policy priorities and, again, the ability to frame the community college message for maximum influence and impact. Community college leaders must also be familiar with the state-level budgeting process and timeline to ensure that the messages are most effectively delivered and within the established timeframe. © Copyright by Camille Preus December 18, 2007 All Rights Reserved Two Oregon Governors: The Role of Perceptions in Community College State Budget Development by Camille Preus A DISSERTATION Submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education Presented December 18, 2007 Commencement June 2008 Doctor of Education dissertation of Camille Preus presented on December 18, 2007. APPROVED: Major Professor, representing Education Dean of the College of Education Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my dissertation will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my dissertation to any reader upon request. ___________________________________________________________ Camille Preus, Author ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to extend my gratitude to my major advisor, Dr. Betty Duvall, for without her wisdom and guidance, I would not have completed this dissertation and degree. She provided invaluable advice and the necessary tough love for me to finish. I am grateful to the participants in my study who shared their time and stories. Their willingness to share their life experience and a glimpse into the building of a governor’s budget provided insights that will serve me now and in the future. I thank the members of my committee: Dr. George Copa, Dr. Margaret Hallock, Dr. David Longanecker, and Dr. Bill Lunch for their collegial and spirited interaction on my research and their collective role in challenging me and strengthening the dissertation. I thank the members of the Oregon State Board of Education and the staff at the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development for their unflagging support as I pursued this degree. Special thanks go to a ring of generous and caring women, including my CCLP cohort 10 sisters, whose love and friendship sustained me through this project. And my heartfelt appreciation to Terri, my primary editor, for believing that I could write a dissertation that someone might actually read. I also wish to thank my family for their unerring support and love from the beginning of this project to its final conclusion. And to the two other Dr. Preus’ (Paul and Gilma), who through their example taught me to think, question and act. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter I: Introduction to Significance and Focus . 1 Context of Oregon: History of Oregon Community Colleges . 2 This Study: Development and Discussion . 13 The Significance of the Study . 14 Personal Disclosure Statement . 16 Summary . 17 Chapter II: Review of the Literature . 19 Development of State Budgets . 19 Governor’s Role in State Budget Development . 23 Governor as Chief Legislator . 30 Summary of the Literature Review . 32 Chapter III: The Design of the Study . 36 The Data Needed . 38 Study Participants . 40 Data Collection and Analysis Procedures. 41 Strategies to Ensure Soundness of the Data . 44 Strategies for the Protection of Human Subjects. 45 Chapter IV: Findings and Themes . 46 The Governor’s Personal and Political Backgrounds. 47 Theme One: Value of education for all at all levels . 49 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page Chapter IV (Continued) Theme Two: Locking in Strategic Investment . 54 Theme Three: Experience as a Critical Influence . 60 Theme Four: Contextual Forces at Work. 65 Theme Five: Perceptions of Community Colleges . 70 Summary of Findings . 76 Chapter V: Summary, Insights and Recommendations . 78 The Budget Process: Locking in Strategic Investment Priorities . 79 Insights into the Findings of this Study . 84 Recommendations for Community College Leaders . 87 Recommendations for Further Research . 92 Personal Reflections . 95 References . 97 Appendix A: Chart of Community College Enrollment (2006-07) . .102 Appendix B: Summary of Ballot Measures 5, 47, and 50 . .103 Appendix C: Community College Funding Pre- and Post-Measure 5 . .105 1 Two Oregon Governors: The Role of Perceptions in Community College State Budget Development Chapter I: Introduction to Significance and Focus The public education enterprise in Oregon is organized and governed in three sectors. The State Board of Education members, appointed by the governor, and the elected Superintendent of Public Instruction provide oversight for the 198 Kindergarten though Twelfth Grade (K-12) school districts, which are administered by locally elected school boards and led by the Superintendents they appoint. K-12 funding is a combination of local property taxes and an allocation from the state budget process. The State Board of Education also provides oversight for Oregon’s 17 community colleges and appoints the Commissioner of the Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development. The colleges are governed by locally elected boards and led by the presidents they appoint. Historically, the operations and capital construction budgets for community colleges were funded through locally levied property taxes. The State Board of Higher Education, appointed by the Governor, provides oversight for the Oregon University System (OUS). The OUS includes seven universities, each led by a president who reports to the chancellor (appointed by the State Board of Higher Education) of the system. Historically, the universities have received their primary funding from the state. 2 Figure 1.1 illustrates the governance of Oregon’s education enterprise (Pre- kindergarten through graduate school)(PK-20). Oregon University Pre-K – 12 Community Colleges System State Board of State Board of State Board of Education (appointed Education (appointed Higher Education by Governor) by Governor) (appointed by Governor) Superintendent Commissioner Chancellor (statewide elected) (appointed by Board) (appointed by Board) Susan Castillo Camille Preus George Pernsteiner 198 School Districts 17 Community Colleges 7 Universities Locally Elected Board - Locally Elected Boards – State Board of Higher (hires local superintendent) (hire community college Education (hires university presidents) president) Figure 1.1 Education Enterprise: hierarchy of the PreK-12, Community College, and Oregon University System programs. The Context of Oregon: History of Oregon Community Colleges The legislation permitting the formation of community colleges in Oregon was enacted in 1959. Within 20 years, fourteen community college districts had been formed. Most colleges grew out of K-12 districts, often from the high school vocational programs. The organization and governance for Oregon community colleges followed the K-12 model, with locally elected governing boards and funds from locally levied property taxes as the primary funding for operations and capital construction. The State Board of Education provided oversight and state-level 3 governance through the Office of Community College Services (OCCS), then a unit of the Department of Education. In 1999,