Higher Education Items in the Budget Conference Committee - June 28, 2001

The state budget for FY'02 is now in a House-Senate Conference Committee. The 6 members of that committee (along with the Speaker and Senate President) will now determine what the final version of the budget will include. MTA will focus its lobbying efforts for higher ed on the following issues in the conference committee:

1) Campus Budgets - As explained in previous emails, both the House and Senate budgets underfund all 3 segments of higher ed. The Senate budget was higher than the House, albeit only slightly so, for almost all the campuses. Therefore, MTA will lobby the conference committee to include the Senate funding levels for all the campuses except Springfield Technical Community College and its Center for Telecommunications.

2) Library and Reference Materials - MTA is lobbying to support the Senate's level funding this account at $14 million. The House funds this line item at only $11 million (a $3 million cut from last year).

3) MECT - Both the House and Senate included in their budgets language requiring the Department of Education to audit the Massachusetts Educator Certification Test for validity and reliability. While the language in the House and Senate versions is similiar, the House language is stronger and would therefore result in a much more accurate audit. MTA is lobbying for the House language.

4) MCAS Remediation / Community Colleges - The House earmarks $2 million for the community colleges to perform MCAS remediation work, but it does not add any additional money to the account. The Senate adds $10million to the account, but does not earmark any money to the community colleges. MTA is supporting the $10 million increase with $2 million of it earmarked for the community colleges.

5) Paraprofessionals / State Colleges - The Senate earmarks $300,000 for tuition for public school paraprofessionals to study at state colleges in order to become public school teachers. MTA is supporting that earmarking.

6) Adult Basic Education / Community Colleges - The Senate earmarks to the community colleges $2.5 million from the Department of Education's Adult Basic Ed grants. MTA is supporting the Senate earmarking.

7) North Shore Community College - The House earmarks $1.49 million from the college for the Essex Agricultural and Technical Institute. MTA is supporting the Senate language which does not earmark this money.

8) Pension Liability - The House met its commitment to continue funding the pension liability on schedule. The Senate underfunded the account by $74 million. MTA is supporting the House funding level, but only if the money comes from the state's 'Rainy Day' fund and not from the state's operating budget.

In addition to these items, MTA will also be discussing with the legislature other possible avenues for getting increased funding to higher ed campuses.

Higher ed members can contact their own state representatives and senators and ask those legislators to speak with the conference committee members about the issues listed above, especially items #1 - #3.