By Todd Engdahl, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO

A 50 percent cut in state aid to higher education wouldn’t force closure of any colleges, but it would require some tough choices, the Joint Budget Committee was told Wednesday.

A recent report from the Colorado Commission on Higher Education warned of dramatic tuition increases, reduced access for minority and low-income students, a financial squeeze on middle-income students, reduced course offerings and bare-bones student services if state support were halved.

Colleges were required to file that report with the JBC by a 2010 state law (Senate Bill 10-003) that also gave institutions greater control over tuition rates and over some other financial operations. (Read article about the report and see full document.)

In a briefing paper presented to the committee at a Wednesday morning meeting, JBC analyst Carl Kurtz didn’t necessarily disagree with the report’s conclusions but he did take a more nuanced view.

Among other things, his report noted because direct state support provides only part of college revenues, “From the total funds, including tuition, this is a 9.2 percent reduction. It is a 10.9 percent reduction per students in constant 2010 dollars. If funding were reduced according to the SB 10-003 scenario, the [fiscal year] 2011-12 funding would be higher than in FY 2001-02 through FT 2004-05.” (That scenario assumes resident undergraduate tuition would increase 9 percent and non-resident tuition would rise 5 percent.)

The briefing report also said, “Staff believes the higher education institutions have options for reducing expenditures and increasing revenues to absorb a 50 percent reduction in state support without closing colleges.”

The CCHE “doomsday” report doesn’t raise the possibility of closing campuses, although that’s a subject regularly batted around in higher ed circles and by some legislators when the subject of possible future budget cuts comes up.

“There are options available and the institutions are capable of absorbing a 50 percent cut,” Kurtz told committee members. “You might not like the consequences, [but] it wouldn’t be Armageddon.”

The consequences Kurtz referred to include higher tuition, cuts in staffing (and, therefore, cuts in academic programs) and the ticklish question of shifting state aid among institutions.

“A 50 percent cut in state funds for a small rural community college is very different from a 50 percent cut for CU-Boulder,” he noted.

For example, a chart in the briefing paper details that community colleges receive about 39 percent of their budgets from state support while CU-Boulder depends on state aid for only 15.5 percent of its budget. Two of the smaller four-year colleges, Western State in Gunnison and Adams State in Alamosa, receive more than half their funding from the state.

“The impact by institution varies widely,” the briefing paper says, “creating challenges around how to allocate a reduction of this magnitude. To keep the total funds reduction for all institutions the same would require a significant reallocation of General Fund [state tax dollars] from some institutions with large amounts of tuition revenue to other institutions with small amounts of tuition revenue, and/or uneven tuition rate increases around the state.”

Such shifts “would be very controversial politically,” Kurtz told the committee. That’s an understatement. The question of institutional fund shifts came up repeatedly during the deliberations of the Higher Education Strategic Planning Steering Committee, and it was an issue that always raised the hackles of some institution leaders, particularly those at CU.

The college-by-college funding allocation in Gov. Bill Ritter’s proposed 2011-10 higher ed budget includes a slight funding shift, a plan some colleges weren’t wild about when the CCHE approved the formula.

Staff briefing papers such as the one Kurtz presented Wednesday sometimes contain “briefing issues” that aren’t formal staff recommendations but are meant to give committee members background and food for thought on particular budget issues.

Committee members had a few questions about the 50 percent scenario but didn’t get into a lengthy discussion.

The document also contained briefings on the broader issue of balancing state support and tuition, and on the recently proposed higher ed strategic plan. (See story on the strategic plan.)

Members of the CCHE and college presidents will get to make their budget case to the JBC – and be quizzed by committee members – during an all-day hearing on Nov. 30. Kurtz won’t make his higher ed budget proposal to the committee until well after the 2011 legislature convenes in January.

In the current budget year, the higher ed system has funding of about $2.15 billion, including $535.3 million in state tax support and $85.6 billion in federal stimulus funds. According to Kurtz’ analysis, the Ritter administration’s proposed 2011-12 budget totals about $2.16 billion, including $534.2 million in state funds and no stimulus money. The budget assumes a 9 percent increase in resident undergraduate tuition and a 5 percent hike for non-residents.

The Ritter budget would seem to allay fears of drastic higher ed cuts in 2011-12. But incoming Gov. John Hickelooper and the legislature will have the final say on next year’s state budget, including whether to use the transfers of cash funds into the general fund that Ritter proposed as part of his balancing plan.

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By Nancy Mitchell, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO

It was a civil, if feisty, crowd.

More than 40 speakers and others packed a school board meeting room in Castle Rock on Tuesday for the public’s first chance to comment on Douglas County’s voucher proposal.

Go straight to meeting video.

Most of the speakers – 26 of the 42 – spoke against the draft plan, citing concerns about public dollars flowing to private schools and the potential exodus of district students. Some criticized the board’s decision to spend more than $13,000 on the attorney who wrote the proposal.

“We do not have a failing school system,” said a passionate Daniel Galloway, the father of four students in district schools. “Let’s call this what it is. You call it choice, I call it a bailout or a subsidy.”

But there was also emotion among the supporters who spoke. One mom talked about the problems her autistic son is having in his neighborhood school. Others said the proposal could reduce overcrowding and bring more money into the district.

“I will be happy for my taxpayer money to be provided towards parents to choose which school fits their needs,” said Karin Piper, whose children have been in traditional, charter, online, private and home schools. “I don’t feel like I have the business to tell parents that.”

Under the current proposal, a student enrolled in Douglas County could receive a voucher equal to a private school’s tuition or 75 percent of per-pupil funding, whichever is less. The other 25 percent would stay in the district.

Private and religious schools in Douglas County could apply to participate in the program and, under the current plan, those schools could continue admissions policies requiring students be of a certain faith.

But Douglas County school board members said the final version of the plan will be shaped by community input. A second public hearing is scheduled Dec. 7 and board President John Carson said a time line for a vote on the proposal should be ready by the board’s Dec. 21 meeting.

For more information about the proposal and a legal history of vouchers in Colorado, see this EdNews’ story.

Click in the video below to view highlights from Tuesday’s meeting. In some shots, you can see the clock ticking down the single minute each speaker was given. And you’ll hear, in some cases, audience members shouting out “Time” to ensure the limit was enforced – causing some speakers to stop mid-sentence.

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By Todd Engdahl, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO

How would Colorado’s public colleges and universities manage their budgets if state tax support were cut in half?

A new report from the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and college leaders warns of dramatic tuition increases; reduced access for minority and low-income students; a financial squeeze on middle-income students; reduced course offerings and bare-bones student services, among other consequences.

“We are near the tipping point where additional reductions in state support … will result in numerous negative outcomes for Colorado current and future students and families, hurting the economy and leading to a stagnant future,” Jim Polsfut, chair of the CCHE, wrote in a letter introducing the report.

The 51-page document also discusses at length the economic impact of higher education and its value to the state.

State funding for higher ed has been cut during both the recession at the beginning of the decade and during the most recent one. That has made students parents, not taxpayers, the main source of college revenues. On average, state universities and colleges now charge about $3 in tuition for every $1 they receive from the state.

In the current, 2010-11 budget year, the higher ed system is receiving about $620.9 million in state and federal stimulus support, plus $82.5 for student financial aid. Halving that support would yield $310.4 million for operations and $41.2 million in financial aid.

A law passed by the 2010 legislature gave colleges and the CCHE more freedom in setting tuition rates and also more flexibility in some other financial operations. The law also required the higher ed system to prepare the report on the impact of a 50 percent cut, which was submitted to the legislative Joint Budget Committee Wednesday.

Some higher education officials and college presidents weren’t enthusiastic about the assignment, feeling that there was little practical purpose – and perhaps some bad public relations – in such a hypothetical exercise.

There was some concern in the legislature last spring that the state’s bleak revenue outlook would force such deep cuts in higher ed for the 2011-12 budget year.

It’s uncertain now that the danger is quite so great. Outgoing Gov. Bill Ritter’s proposed 2011-12 budget is balanced, includes some $555 million in state support for higher ed and would force colleges to absorb “only” the loss of about $89 million in federal stimulus support. (Get details here about the Ritter budget plan.)

Here are snapshots of what campus leaders say a 50 percent cut would mean. (Enrollment headcount and budget numbers are rounded.)

University of Colorado System (56,400 students in Boulder, Denver, Aurora and Colorado Springs) – The summary predicts significant tuition increases for resident students (but no specific estimate), reduction in faculty, continued deterioration of campuses and “reduction in services throughout the campus ranging from student services, administration, to academic support such as for libraries and information technology.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $192.4 million, plus $19.5 million for financial aid.)

Colorado State University System (30,500 students in Fort Collins and Pueblo) – “Larger increases in tuition coupled with budget cuts will diminish funding available for financial aid by more than 50 percent. … Drastic reductions will lead to double-digit across-the-board expense reductions, elimination of hundreds of positions and administrative department and program closures. Resident tuition rates will have to be increased significantly” (at least 32 percent at Fort Collins and 40 percent at Pueblo). “Class sizes will have to be significantly larger and resident enrollment may have to be capped.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $132 million, plus $12.2 million for financial aid.)

Colorado Community College System (85,500 students at 13 institutions) – “Budget cuts of this magnitude will dramatically impact the ability of our colleges to serve all Colorado students. … However, given our colleges’ socio-economic profiles and program offerings, these cuts will disproportionally impact our low-income, first-generation, rural, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) students.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $132 million, plus $25.4 million for financial aid.)

Metro State (23,000 students in Denver) – “An operating reduction of $19.8 million would dramatically restrict student support services, necessitate increased class size, reduce the number of course selections offered, limit personal attention from faculty and staff and restrict choices of academic programs.” A 72 percent tuition increase is predicted. (Current state and stimulus funding is $44 million, plus $11.7 million for financial aid.)

University of Northern Colorado (12,700 students in Greeley) – “A 50 percent cut in UNC’s state funding would severely limit the university’s capacity to serve low-income, first-time students, particularly those who are not the academic elite; necessitate larger class sizes and limitations on course offerings; harm our ability to recruit and retain the most qualified faculty; and result in lower student retention rates and longer time to graduation.” No tuition figure mentioned. (Current state and stimulus funding is $40.6 million, plus $4.6 million for financial aid.)

Adams State (2,800 students in Alamosa) – “A combination of reduction in workforce, freezing of wages over extended periods, elimination of programs and tuition increases in excess of 50 percent over a two-year period would be required.” Such a cut would “prohibit the development of an aid packaging model that meets the needs of low income students, depriving them [of] access to higher education.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $13.4 million, plus $1.9 million for financial aid.)

Colorado Schools of Mines (4,700 students in Golden) – Such a cut would “require tuition increases that could threaten our competitive market position and our stable enrollment, and possibly price a Mines’ education out of reach for many Colorado residents.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $21.4 million, plus $1.6 million for financial aid.)

Fort Lewis (3,700 students in Durango) – “The resident tuition increase required to bridge the gap quantified above would equate to 73 percent, or an additional $2,467 per resident student annually, including the financial aid increases needed to mitigate the impact on low and middle-income students. Alternately, since approximately 70 percent of the college’s general fund budget represents personnel costs, if a $5.7 million expenditure reduction was implemented, approximately 100 full time positions (21 percent) would be eliminated.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $11.5 million, plus $1.2 million for financial aid.)

Mesa State (7,000 students in Grand Junction) – “The answer to the hypothetical question posed seems obvious. If Mesa State College’s funding from the state of Colorado is cut by 50 percent, we will be forced to raise revenue, cut expenses and potentially sacrifice quality.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $20 million million, plus $3.3 million for financial aid.)

Western State (2,260 students in Gunnison) – “To offset a loss of $5.6 million in state appropriations (for operations) will require an average increase in tuition of approximately 60 percent. In addition to this offset, additional tuition revenue will have to be generated to cover financial aid losses and to help mitigate the impact of these rate increases on low and middle-income students. We anticipate that this could add a premium of another 30 percent to tuition rates.” Such cuts “would threaten the viability of the institution and create considerable strain on our ability to cover daily operational costs.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $11.2 million, plus $889,000 for financial aid.)

Read the full report here.

The study is the second major document on higher education released in the last week. A new higher education strategic plan covers many of the same financial challenges and recommends asking voters for a tax increase of some sort in 2011 to restore stable funding for higher education (see story for more details).

The two documents provide plenty for the 2011 legislature to think about, should it decide to take up the issue of higher ed’s future.

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Source: Complete College Colorado

DENVER DAILY NEWS

Gov. Bill Ritter and education advocates on Monday launched a campaign to raise awareness of higher education programs and services available in Colorado.

The Complete College Colorado initiative comes as a state panel studying higher education in Colorado has recommended asking voters for a tax increase to competitively fund higher education in Colorado.

Ritter has said that he will make education a priority over the next two months as he prepares to exit office and assists Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper with his transition into state office.

“Colorado’s ability to compete in the 21st century economy will depend on how well we prepare our children for the jobs of the future, which will increasingly require a college degree,” Ritter said in a statement. “Making college affordable and accessible to Colorado’s children has been a top priority of my administration. That includes helping our students go the last mile to earn their degrees, which is why I am launching Complete College Colorado.”

The campaign not only aims to educate the public on what higher education programs and services are available in Colorado, but also on the importance of post-secondary degrees for Colorado’s economic future.

In the recommendations released last week by the governor’s Higher Education Strategic Planning Committee, the report also points to a shift in the education requirements for Colorado jobs. By 2018, nearly 70 percent of jobs in Colorado will require higher education and training, according to the report.

Meanwhile, higher education spending in Colorado continues to lag the rest of the nation, with Colorado ranking 48th in the nation for higher education operating expenses per capita.

The campaign announced by Ritter is not officially tied to any campaigns that may be assembled to ask voters for a tax increase to fund higher education. Education advocates said last week that no specific plans have been established yet for such a campaign, or whether the Legislature will first be asked to refer the question to voters.

The Complete College Colorado campaign will include a variety of events, statewide community outreach, a Web site — CompleteCollegeColorado.com — and a social media (Facebook) component, according to a news release issued by the governor’s office.

“The importance of a higher education degree cannot be overstated,” Rico Munn, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, said in a statement. “According to recent figures published by the Higher Education Strategic Planning Committee, having an associate’s degree increases the wages of a high school graduate by 36 percent over a lifetime, while obtaining a bachelor’s degree almost doubles the income of a high school graduate. An individual with a master’s degree makes approximately 150 percent more than a high school graduate, and a doctoral degree or professional degree triples or quadruples an individual’s earning potential, respectively.”

The campaign will focus on four primary themes:

» The impact of degree attainment on Colorado’s workforce and economy;

» Financial aid resources available across the state to help individuals afford higher education;

» The P-20 education reform movement — designed to address public education down the pipeline; and

» Programs and services available statewide to assist adults in returning to school to complete their degrees.

“Improving degree attainment statewide will be crucial in order to meet the future jobs and workforce needs of the state,” Kelly Brough, chief executive of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. “According to a recent study, Colorado ranks fifth among the states for the percentage of jobs in 2018 that will require a postsecondary education and third for those that will require a bachelor’s degree. It is further estimated that by 2018, 67 percent of all jobs in Colorado will require some postsecondary training. As things stand currently, in order to fill these jobs, Colorado will need to import qualified workers from other states or countries or risk losing the business. Having a more educated workforce better positions Colorado to be competitive in the marketplace of the future.”

For more information, visit CompleteCollegeColorado.com, or www.facebook.com/CompleteCollegeColorado.

In other coverage:

Denver Business Journal: The business community has a large role in the Complete College Colorado program that Gov. Bill Ritter announced Monday. The program, designed to increase the number of Coloradans who complete their college degrees, will run a monthlong campaign to raise awareness of programs and services available statewide to help people advance their educations. The campaign will include events, community outreach and other efforts to build awareness of programs and services available statewide.

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By Todd Engdahl, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO

Legislative party caucuses have picked their leaders for the 2011 session, but the members of the House and Senate education committees remain to be decided.

Senate Democrats have a 20-15 majority, down only one seat after the election. On Thursday they again selected Sen. Brandon Shaffer, D-Boulder, as president. Also retaining his job is Majority Leader John Morse, who survived a tough, high-spending race in Colorado Springs and who was backed by all the education groups that endorsed candidates in 2010.

Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver, was named to the Joint Budget Committee, along with Sen. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton. Senate Republicans named Sen. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, to the JBC, replacing the moderate Al White of Hayden. Mike Kopp of Littleton was named minority leader.

Steadman’s move to the JBC leaves a least one vacancy on the Senate Education Committee, because budget panel members don’t serve on other committees.

The education committee was an eye of calm in the middle of 2010 campaign storms, because six of eight members (three Democrats and three Republicans) are in the middle of their terms and weren’t on the ballot. And, like Steadman, Sen. Mike Johnston, D-Denver and author of the educator effectiveness law, easily won election Tuesday.

Nancy Spence of Centennial, ranking Republican on Senate Ed, was replaced as minority whip by the more conservative Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley.

Situation murkier in the House

Things are more complicated in the House, both in general and regarding the education committee.

As of Thursday, Republicans were claiming a 33-32 majority, and they elected Rep. Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, as speaker. McNulty served on House Ed last session but hasn’t been considered a major voice on education issues.

Democrats are clinging to the hope that the final vote count in Jefferson County’s House District 29 will favor Rep. Debbie Benefield, D-Arvada, who’s currently trailing.

House Democrats chose Rep. Sal Pace, D-Pueblo, as their leader, either as speaker if they get lucky or as minority leader if they don’t.

If Benefield ultimately loses, that means there will be at least five vacancies on House Ed, which had 13 members (eight Democrats and five Republicans) in the last session.

Chair Mike Merrifield of Colorado Springs is gone because of term limits, and Rep. Karen Middleton, D-Aurora, resigned from the legislature for a political job. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, is headed to Washington after winning the 3rd Congressional District. And, as speaker, McNulty isn’t likely to serve on a committee.

Reelected Tuesday were committee Democrats Cherilyn Peniston of Westminster, Christine Scanlan of Dillon, Sue Schafer of Wheat Ridge, Judy Solano of Brighton and Nancy Todd of Aurora.

Republican members who won reelection were Tom Massey of Poncha Springs and Ken Summers of Lakewood. Rep. Carole Murray, R-Castle Rock, was unopposed.

Massey is expected to be named chair if Republicans hold their slim majority. Other members may or may not return to the committee, based on personal preference or leadership decisions. The size and partisan balance on the panel also may change because of the new overall party split in the House.

If the House stays in GOP hands, the six-member JBC will have an even 3-3 party split, meaning bipartisan support will be needed for budget recommendations.

Election notes

The elections weren’t kind to legislative challengers with education backgrounds. Among the losers – all but one of them Democrats – were:

• Janet Tanner, a Colorado Springs District 11 board member, in House District 16.
• Retired teacher Laura Huerta in Adams County’s House District 30.
• Republican Tom Janich, a former Brighton school board member, who lost to Solano in House District 31.
• Carole Partin, former president of the Pueblo Education Association, in House District 47.
• Karen Stockley, a Thompson school board member, in House District 49
• Bill McCreary, a former Thompson board member, in House District 51.

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By Peter Marcus, DENVER DAILY NEWS

In order to bring higher education funding up to a competitive $1.5 billion, from its current $760 million, the state will need to ask voters to increase tax rates in at least two areas, according to a report released yesterday by a higher education planning commission.

“The current condition of higher education in Colorado is alarming and deteriorating,” state Jim Lyons and Dick Monfort, co-chairs of the governor’s Higher Education Strategic Planning Steering Committee, in the report. “Without changing the course our state is now following, we are headed to a future we don’t want. We need to invest more resources in higher education if we are to maintain and enhance its quality.”

The report recommends five areas of revenue enhancements, stating that at least two are required to meet the state’s goals:

» Restore income and sales tax rates to 5 percent and 3 percent, respectively, generating $445 million — the current rates are 4.63 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively;

» Expand sales tax to specific services, generating $550 million;

» Implement a 1 percent surcharge on extraction, generating $150 million;

» Implement a 4.0 statewide mill levy, generating $350 million; and

» Implement a 4.0 mill levy in counties with an institution of higher education, generating $240 million.

The report also calls for reducing income and ethnic gaps in college admission; improve the quality of education across the entire educational pipeline, from preschool through systems of higher education; and increase accountability of the state’s higher education system, partly by enhancing the responsibilities of the Commission on Higher Education.

Gov. Bill Ritter yesterday said it will be necessary to go back to voters to enhance funding for higher education, adding that he would like to possibly include a conversation about repealing aspects of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, which education advocates have targeted as a roadblock for increasing funding.

But Ritter said the funding problems associated with TABOR are not as immediate as the problems facing higher education.

“I’m still a person who thinks we should reform it, but it’s not as immediate as I would argue this problem is,” he said responding to a question inside his office at the Capitol yesterday. “If we can do both, reform TABOR and find a way to adequately fund higher-ed, we should, but if you want to ask me what I would consider to be the priority for the State of Colorado to remain competitive in the 21st century and make the biggest impact on the quality of lives of Coloradans, it would be this.”

There are no immediate plans or direction for heading to voters with a tax increase question. Dawn Taylor Owens, executive director of College In Colorado, said it is still up in the air whether advocates will ask the Legislature to refer a measure to voters, or whether there will be a citizen-initiated drive.

Education funding advocates asked the Legislature this year to refer to voters a ballot question that would have created a steady funding source for P-20 education. The move to send the proposal to voters was rejected by the Legislature.

Education advocates said in July that they will make a push to send the proposal to voters in 2011. Voters would be asked to allow lawmakers exemptions from TABOR to fund preschool, K-12 and higher education.

Colorado ranks 48th in the nation for higher education operating expenses per capita.

Lyons said at a news conference in Ritter’s office yesterday that ultimately the issue will come down to whether voters believe higher education is enough of a priority that they are willing to pay more for it.

“At the end of the day … this is their decision — what kind of state do you want to have? What kind of higher education system do you want to have? What are you willing to pay for?” Lyons said. “Because none of this comes free.”

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By Todd Engdahl, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO

Future tuition rates for students at four Colorado college campuses are now fully in the hands of those institutions.

The Colorado Commission on Higher Education Thursday approved tuition and financial flexibility plans submitted by the Colorado State University System, Metropolitan State College and Fort Lewis College.

The plans are the first approved under a new law that allows colleges to raise resident undergraduate tuition up to 9 percent a year for each of the next five years. Institutions that want to raise tuition beyond that must seek CCHE approval, and they also have to demonstrate that affordability and access will be protected for middle- and lower-income students. Tuition ceilings used to be set by the legislature.

The three institutions received permission to raise tuition above the 9 percent level – but that doesn’t mean they actually will raise tuition by specific amounts. College boards typically set tuition in May or June, and changing financial conditions between now and then will determine what bills students actually will have to pay in the 2011-12 school year.

Most of the flexibility plans submitted by colleges around the state proposed varying tuition schemes based on different levels of state support, suggesting higher tuition increases if state revenue drops.

Gov. Bill Ritter’s proposed 2011-12 budget, released earlier this week, includes a “less bad” funding level for higher ed – $555 million in state support. If that number holds through legislative budget deliberations next spring, tuition hikes may be less than they would be otherwise. Tuition now supplies about $1.6 billion to college revenues.

Here are highlights of the three approved plans:

CSU – The proposal would generate increased tuition revenue by requiring Fort Collins students to take more credits to qualify as full time and by eliminating a credit hour discount at Pueblo. The cost per credit hour would stay the same, but some students could see increases of 20 percent at Fort Collins and nearly as much at Pueblo by taking more classes. Earlier this year CSU announced a financial aid program that cushions many lower-income students against tuition hikes. (See CSU plan.)

Metro – The college says it has two options for 2011-12. The first is raising tuition 21 percent but reducing some fees by rolling them into tuition bills. That would yield a combined tuition and fee increase of 16.5 percent. If Metro trustees decide not to change the fee structure, the proposed tuition increase alone would be 12.5 percent.

Fort Lewis – The Durango college also paints two tuition possibilities. Under the first, the definition of full time would be raised from 10 credit hours to 12, and tuition would be raised 9 percent a year for five years. The second plan, assuming reduced state support, would increase tuition 20 percent in each of the next two years.

The CSU and Metro plans were approved for the full five years; the Fort Lewis proposal for two.

Commission member Greg Stevinson, who headed a subcommittee that reviewed the flexibility plans, said, “These three just rose to the top. They were very well done.”

Stevinson’s group is still reviewing and negotiating proposals from the University of Colorado and community college systems, the University of Northern Colorado and from Adams, Mesa and Western State colleges. Mesa’s original application was not accepted but has been revised. The Colorado School of Mines, where the CCHE met Thursday, chose not to apply for flexibility and will stay within the 9 percent ceiling.

Stevinson told the commission, “I’m not sure everyone is going to get two-year approval.” Asked later what colleges he meant, Stevinson declined to say and added he’s reasonably confident issues can be resolved.

(See this previous Education News Colorado story for more details on flexibility plans.)

The new law and the flexibility plans cover only tuition for undergraduate Colorado residents. Colleges and universities are free to set tuition as they like for out-of-state and all graduate students.

The new law also doesn’t deal with student fees, which have risen rapidly in recent years and used for a wide variety of purposes, including building construction. A new Department of Higher Education panel is studying that issue and will report to the CCHE next spring.

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By Todd Engdahl, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO

The State Board of Education on Wednesday began the long process of finding a successor to education Commissioner Dwight Jones.

During the longest board meeting in recent months, members also approved the first public release of the state’s new school ranking system (see this in-depth Education News Colorado story) and heard some fervent testimony in favor of something that students might not be so wild about – expansion of state tests.

Jones, who’s headed to Las Vegas to become superintendent of the 310,000-student Clark County Schools in Nevada, made that official Wednesday, telling the board, “It’s about time I submitted a formal letter of resignation. … I don’t think I can hold it off any longer.”

Board Chair Bob Schaffer, R-4th District, said the occasion was “pretty sobering,” telling Jones, “Your impression on Colorado is permanent.”

“All right, what’s next?” Schaffer asked.

Jones outlined his transition plans, saying he’ll work at the department until Dec. 13 and start in Nevada two days later. He then recommended that the board name Robert Hammond as interim superintendent.

“Do you want to do it?” Schaffer, smiling, asked Hammond, who allowed that he did. “I hope I can provide the stability you need.” The board unanimously approved the appointment.

Hammond is deputy commissioner in charge of operations and administration. He joined the department in March 2008 after serving as chief operations officer for the Boulder Valley School District. Hammond is married to Ranelle Lang, superintendent of Greeley schools.

Later, toward the end of the meeting, the board turned to the process for finding a permanent commissioner.

Members informally agreed to a schedule that calls for selecting a search consultant in late December and meeting with the winning firm in mid-January, at the same meeting when two new members elected Tuesday, Republicans Paul Lundeen of the 5th District and Debora Scheffel of the 6th District, take office.

That likely means a new commissioner won’t be selected until next spring.

Schaffer said that he doesn’t think having the current board select the search firm “lim

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By Nancy Mitchell and Todd Engdahl, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO

Updated 6:45 p.m. Nov. 3 – Seven of the 11 bond issues proposed by 10 Colorado schools districts apparently have been approved by voters.

A bond issue in the growing Falcon district failed, while proposals in Poudre and Peyton passed.

Eight districts, including Peyton, proposed bonds specifically to match state Building Excellent Schools Today grants. Proposals passed in Center, Holly, Mapleton and Salida but failed in Elbert, Florence and Peyton.

Akron was designated previously as an alternate if other districts failed to raise their matches, and the district passed its bond, putting it in line for BEST money. The BEST board meets next week to decide what to do in the wake of Tuesday’s election.

BALLOT MEASUREYESNO

Akron, $7.7 million bond to match BEST (district is BEST alternate)709440

Percentage62%38%

Center, $4.7 million bond to match BEST229144

Percentage61%39%

Elbert, $3.5 million bond to match BEST (final)355498

Percentage41%59%

Falcon, $125 million bond issue for expansion (final)979010,795

Percentage48%52%

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By Todd Engdahl, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO

Democratic incumbent Angelika Schroeder was headed to victory for the State Board of Education Tuesday, as was incumbent University of Colorado regent Steve Bosley.

Republican newcomers were leading in two other SBE races, while in two other regent races a Democratic incumbent was ahead in one race while the Republican was leading in another.

Statewide, Democrat John Hickenlooper was elected governor, bringing into office with him Joe Garcia, president of CSU-Pueblo, as lieutenant governor. Education advocate Cary Kennedy lost her bid for re-election as state treasurer. And Democrat Michael Bennet, former Denver schools superintendent, was locked in a tight race for U.S. Senate with Republican Ken Buck.

In late-evening returns for legislative contests of interest to education, Rep. Debbie Benefield, D-Arvada, was in a tight race with Republican Robert Ramirez, but Rep. Christine Scanlan, D-Dillion, beat Republican Debra Irvine.

In House District 47 in Pueblo and Fremont counties, Democrat Carole Partin was trailing construction company executive Keith Swerdfeger. Partin is past president of the Pueblo Education Association. A Swerdfeger win would be a gain for Republicans.

Another former teacher, Democrat Laura Huerta, was behind Republican Rep. Kevin Priola in Adams County’s District 30. Priola is a member of the House Education Committee. Incumbent Democratic representatives Sue Schafer, Judy Solano, Cherilyn Peniston and Nancy Todd were leading in their races in suburban Denver districts. All are members of the House Education Committee.

In Colorado Springs’ Senate District 11, Democratic Senate Majority Leader John Morse was clinging to a slim lead over Republican Owen Hill. Education groups of all stripes had backed Morse. (In an El Paso county commissioner race pitting two education figures against each other, outgoing Republican SBE member Peggy Littleton was leading Mike Merrifield, outgoing chair of the House Education Committee. But, candidate Pete Lee appeared on his way to holding Merrifield’s seat for the Democrats.)

In Senate District 6 in the Four Corners, Republican Rep. Ellen Roberts of Durango looked headed for a win over Democratic Sen. Bruce Whitehead of Hesperus. The Colorado Education Association supported Whitehead, while the reform group Stand for Children backed Roberts.

Rep. Tom Massey, R-Poncha Springs and ranking Republican on the House Education Committee, appeared headed for reelection.

In Denver Senate districts, Democratic incumbents Pat Steadman, Lucia Guzman, Chris Romer and Michael Johnston were heading to easy victories in heavily Democratic districts. (See bottom of this story for current legislat

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