HARRISBURG – Four Republican bills conveying significant changes for Pennsylvania higher education – including one that would tie state money sent to Pitt to “performance-based metrics” – got final approval from the state Senate Tuesday.
Two other Republican bills had been approved the day before, and the series of votes was a significant development as the June 30 state budget deadline nears. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro already has pitched his own set of concepts for overhauling higher education in Pennsylvania, which is generally viewed as too expensive and not lined up with the job market.
Two bills approved Tuesday would attempt to boost in-demand occupations in a worker-shortage plagued state. They lay out scholarship programs which would require students, in exchange for financial help, to commit to working in one of those fields in Pennsylvania after graduation.
One that would give Pennsylvania residents who make that commitment grants of $5,000 passed the chamber unanimously. Another that would offer out-of-state students who made the same commitment the reduced tuition level paid by in-state students passed 48-1.
Sen. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he hoped the Pennsylvania-student bill would encourage young adults to stop leaving and instead “get degrees here, get jobs here, and put down roots.” The scholarship program aimed at out-of-state students, he said, was important in part because “Pennsylvania is the second-largest importer of out-of-state students.”
Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-Allegheny and the top Democrat on the Education Committee, spoke in favor of both of the scholarship bills. She said they were “a step in the right direction” but would not cure the system’s widespread ills.
A key problem, she said, is underfunding. “We cannot fix higher education funding in Pennsylvania one student at a time,” Ms. Williams said.
Earlier in the day, during an unrelated public appearance, Mr. Shapiro was asked about the Republican higher education proposals. He said he appreciated them.
“I think what you’re seeing in the Senate is a willingness in trying to address the fact that we’re 49th in the nation when it comes to higher ed – and no one should think that is acceptable,” Mr. Shapiro said.
The governor said his own team had listened to state residents and lawmakers as it put together a “blueprint” for higher education. Late last week, bills were filed in the House — which is controlled by his fellow Democrats — and the Senate that reflected his ideas.
“There’s some good stuff in there,” he said of the higher education bills, overall. Now, he said, lawmakers and the administration would have to find “common ground.”
The higher education bills passed by the Senate were:
- One set up the “Grow Pennsylvania Scholarship Grant Program” that would let state residents get grants of up to $5,000 if they agree to take a job in an “in-demand” occupation in Pennsylvania after graduation and stay on that job at least 15 months for each year in which they got a grant. The program would be set up in the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, and the state Independent Fiscal Office would provide the list of “in-demand” occupations.
- Similarly, the “Grow PA Merit Scholarship Program” aims to attract strong out-of-state students to Pennsylvania by letting them pursue studies leading to in-demand occupations by giving them in-state tuition, as long as they agree to work in Pennsylvania after graduation.
- A third bill would create a new task force that would review higher education and career preparation programs in the future. This bill passed with all Republicans and Democratic Sen. Lisa Boscola of Northampton County in favor, and all other Democrats opposed.
- The state money sent to Pitt and other state-related universities would be tied to “performance-based metrics” under a fourth bill put to a vote Tuesday. The bill would establish a new “Performance-based Funding Council” to set up the metrics, considering things like graduation rates, employment and retention rates, and salaries after graduation. It passed in a 28-21 vote identical to the task force bill.
Ford Turner: fturner@post-gazette.com
First Published: June 11, 2024, 10:46 p.m.
Updated: June 12, 2024, 3:20 p.m.
