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| PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 1371 | PRINTER'S NO. 1446 |
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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| SENATE RESOLUTION |
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| INTRODUCED BY SCARNATI, PICCOLA, M. WHITE AND D. WHITE, JUNE 17, 2011 |
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| SENATOR PICCOLA, EDUCATION, AS AMENDED, JUNE 27, 2011 |
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| A RESOLUTION |
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1 | Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to |
2 | examine the Commonwealth's programs for postsecondary |
3 | education in Commonwealth rural communities and to make |
4 | recommendations for improving the delivery of open admissions |
5 | and affordable, high-quality community and technical |
6 | education in such areas. |
7 | WHEREAS, The mission of Pennsylvania's community and |
8 | technical colleges is to increase the work force readiness |
9 | skills and educational attainment of Pennsylvanians; and |
10 | WHEREAS, This Commonwealth's community and technical colleges |
11 | provide an exceptional educational value for more than 220,000 |
12 | Pennsylvanians annually; and |
13 | WHEREAS, There are large areas of rural Pennsylvania, |
14 | including an 11-county area in northwestern/central Pennsylvania |
15 | that is geographically larger than Massachusetts, that have no |
16 | community colleges; and |
17 | WHEREAS, The Commonwealth's funding formula for community |
18 | colleges requires a de facto one-third local share contribution; |
19 | and |
20 | WHEREAS, Many rural counties and communities cannot afford |
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1 | the required local share for community college funding; and |
2 | WHEREAS, The Educational Consortium of the Upper Allegheny |
3 | (ECUA), a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the |
4 | Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Public Law 99-514, 26 U.S.C. § |
5 | 501(c)(3)), has established agreements and signed resolutions |
6 | with 30 school districts and four career and technical centers |
7 | in 10 of the 11 counties to cooperate in the implementation of |
8 | regional community college programs and services utilizing |
9 | existing facilities; and |
10 | WHEREAS, The ECUA currently works collaboratively with the |
11 | Community Education Councils community education councils; and | <-- |
12 | WHEREAS, The ECUA has established agreements with Butler |
13 | County Community College and Harrisburg Area Community College; |
14 | and |
15 | WHEREAS, For persons living in rural Pennsylvania, the |
16 | requirement to drive an hour or more one way, coupled with the |
17 | cost of gasoline, books and tuition, often can make pursuit of a |
18 | postsecondary education an out-of-reach goal; and |
19 | WHEREAS, The medium family income of the 11 counties is |
20 | $8,000, or 20%, below the State average and low levels of |
21 | educational attainment are linked to poverty; and |
22 | WHEREAS, In the 1960s, when Pennsylvania's community college |
23 | system was created, it was envisioned as a system of 28 |
24 | community and technical colleges; and |
25 | WHEREAS, Today, that goal is only at the halfway mark, with |
26 | 14 community colleges founded under the act of August 24, 1963 |
27 | (P.L.1132, No.484), known as the Community College Act of 1963; |
28 | and |
29 | WHEREAS, Among the 50 states, this Commonwealth ranks 46th in |
30 | the number of community colleges per capita; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, States vary widely in their commitment and approach |
2 | to funding community colleges; and |
3 | WHEREAS, Many rural areas, both in Pennsylvania and other |
4 | states, have created innovative and collaborative approaches to |
5 | providing community college opportunities that do not require |
6 | the construction of new buildings and facilities; and |
7 | WHEREAS, While not thoroughly tested in time, the ECUA model |
8 | is an innovative approach with merit which could service the 11 |
9 | counties and could be a model for other rural regions of this |
10 | Commonwealth; therefore be it |
11 | RESOLVED, That the Senate direct the Legislative Budget and |
12 | Finance Committee to conduct a study of the need for additional |
13 | community college educational opportunities in this |
14 | Commonwealth's rural communities; and be it further |
15 | RESOLVED, That the study include at a minimum an analysis of |
16 | the following: |
17 | (1) the current system for funding community and |
18 | technical colleges in Pennsylvania and the impact of that |
19 | system on this Commonwealth's rural counties and communities; |
20 | (2) the location of postsecondary educational |
21 | institutions in Pennsylvania's rural counties; |
22 | (3) the role of the ECUA in collaboration with Community | <-- |
23 | Education Councils community education councils in supporting | <-- |
24 | additional community college educational opportunities for |
25 | Pennsylvania's rural citizens; and |
26 | (4) funding approaches used in other states to support |
27 | community college educational opportunities in rural areas; |
28 | and be it further |
29 | RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee |
30 | consult with the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania |
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1 | Commission for Community Colleges, the Educational Consortium of |
2 | the Upper Allegheny, community education councils and other | <-- |
3 | individuals and organizations as the committee deems |
4 | appropriate; and be it further |
5 | RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee |
6 | provide recommendations necessary or desirable to improve the |
7 | postsecondary educational opportunities, particularly through |
8 | community and technical colleges, available to citizens living |
9 | in this Commonwealth's rural counties; and be it further |
10 | RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee |
11 | provide recommendations for the best approach to funding |
12 | community college programming in rural areas; and be it further |
13 | RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee |
14 | analyze the relationship of postsecondary costs to the |
15 | participation rates of low-income families; and be it further |
16 | RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee |
17 | report to the Senate the results of its findings and |
18 | recommendations by October 31, 2011. |
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