Congress Hits Campaign Trail, Will Return For Lame Duck Session

Congress left town late last week and is not due to return until the week of November 13, after the November 7 mid-term elections.  As expected, only two (Defense and Homeland Security) of the eleven annual appropriations bills used to fund federal programs were passed in time for the fiscal year that began October 1.  Thus the Congress also passed a continuing resolution (CR) as part of the Defense measure (HR 5631) that will temporarily fund programs in the bills not yet completed at the lowest of one of three levels: FY 06 funding; FY 07 Senate bill; or FY 07 House bill. The CR lasts through November 17.  HR 5631 also included $1 million for the CSU’s Strategic Language Initiative.  Upon returning, the Congress will wrap up work on the remaining appropriations bills, roll some or all of them into an omnibus measure, or pass another continuing resolution. 

Congress Extends, Tweaks Higher Ed Act

Prior to recessing for the November elections, both the House and Senate passed HR 6138, which extends, yet again, programs authorized under the Higher Education Act (HEA), this time until June 30, 2007.   While this means HEA reauthorization will not occur before the new, 110th Congress convenes, HR 6138 did make some modifications to the Act.   The bill cancels federal student loan debt of some victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, relaxes the income verification requirement and eliminates the two-year wait out period for institutions participating in programs to strengthen Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and eliminates a loophole that continued to allow colleges and universities to enter into agreements to serve as lenders in the FFEL (guaranteed student loan) program.  In addition, it includes a somewhat controversial provision to correct a “drafting error” in the Higher Education Reconciliation Act (HERA) which would have allowed the Secretary to reduce account maintenance fees paid to guaranty agencies under the FFEL program.  

Spellings Outlines Higher Ed Agenda

In remarks before the National Press Club on September 26, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings outlined her “action plan” for improving higher education.  Based on the recommendations of her Commission on the Future of Higher Education, Spellings’ remarks focused on access, affordability, and accountability.  Specifics included strengthening K-12 preparation, alignment of high school standards with college expectations, and expansion of the No Child Left Behind principles to high school (access); simplification of the financial aid process for students and increased funding for need based financial aid (affordability); and creation of an information system that could provide data on individual student attainment, and establishing incentives for states and institutions that report student learning outcome data (accountability).  In addition, Secretary Spellings announced plans to convene a meeting this November to discuss accreditation and ways to increase its emphasis on learning outcomes, and to hold a summit next spring to address the postsecondary education needs of families and the workforce.  It is also likely that some of the Secretary’s proposals will be implemented through negotiated rulemaking sessions announced by the Department for this spring.  Within the higher education community, Spellings’ remarks were largely viewed as measured and conciliatory.  Between the release of the final report and the Spellings action plan announcement, six major higher education associations put forth their own views on the future of higher education in America.

Final Commission Report Touts CSU

The final report of the Secretary’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education, issued September 19, singled out the CSU in its “Recommendations” section for increasing access and improving college preparedness.  The report notes that, “One of the best national models of how higher education and K-12 officials can collaborate to help students is the Early Assessment Program (EAP) developed by Chancellor Charles Reed and administrators at the California State University (CSU) system.”  The report goes on to laud CSU early outreach initiatives such as Super Sundays, the How to Get to College poster, and CSUMentor.  Chancellor Reed addressed the Commission February 3 at its meeting in San Diego, CA.

New Upward Bound Priorities Finalized

The Department of Education has announced changes to grant criteria for the Upward Bound (UB) program (Federal Register, September 22, 2006).  Under the new criteria, a recipient would have to recruit students prior to the end of the 10th grade, ensure that at least 30 percent of students served are at high risk of academic failure, and in some instances would be required to recruit a “control group” of students that would not receive UB services.  In finalizing these requirements, the Department adopted a number of CSU suggestions, including allowing programs to accept older students, especially those that had previously participated in UB programs elsewhere, and to allow students chosen for control groups to receive supplemental educational services from other student support programs.  The new criteria represent an “absolute priority” for Upward Bound grants, meaning new applications must meet these guidelines to be considered for funding.