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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 27, 2013 12:25 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Sheryl M. Delozier |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Proposed Legislation – Financial Program for Community Colleges |
| In the near future, I will introduce legislation, which will amend the Public School Code to provide school districts that sponsor community colleges more flexibility in the amount they contribute toward their community college’s annual operating costs and annual capital expenses. Under current law, local sponsors of a community college provide the community college with funding at least equal to the community college’s annual operating costs less student tuition and less the Commonwealth’s appropriation. As a result, the local sponsors of a community college are currently responsible for funding approximately one-third of a community college’s operating expenses. In addition, the local sponsors must provide one-half of the community college’s annual capital expenses. During this challenging economic climate in which school districts are stretching their budgets and eliminating programs, many school districts are having difficulty providing their local community college with the funding required under current law. At the same time, many school districts recognize the benefit community college sponsorship offers families in their communities and wish to continue providing community colleges with some level of financial support. The bill I propose will alleviate this problem by providing that, for a community college (1) is sponsored by one or more school districts, (2) has an enrollment head count in excess of 20,000, and (3) has more than four campuses that are approved by both the Department of Education and the Middle states Association of Colleges and Schools. The local sponsors will provide to the community college an amount negotiated by the governing body of the local sponsor and the community college. Only Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) will be impacted by the bill at this time. My bill will allow HACC to negotiate with its sponsoring school districts a funding level, which will be affordable to the school districts while also helping to meet HACC’s financial needs. |
Introduced as HB1165