Governor Jim Doyle unveiled his 2007-09 biennial budget proposal on Tuesday, February 13th, officially beginning Wisconsin’s state budget process. The Governor’s $57.7 million 2-year budget expands healthcare coverage, increases funding for the UW System and strengthens law enforcement, while covering two-thirds of the cost of public schools.

The Governor’s budget contains several specific proposals related – in whole or in part – to the WTCS:

General State Aid

Under the Governor’s budget, general state aid – the largest single component of state assistance to the technical colleges – remains unchanged at $118.4 million per year.

General state aid to the technical colleges has not increased since the 2000-01 fiscal year.

Workforce Advancement Training Grants

The 2007-09 budget proposal includes a significant expansion of the Workforce Advancement Training Grants, a program begun by Governor Doyle in the 2005-07 budget. The training grants are awarded to technical colleges throughout the state to work in collaboration with local businesses with the goal of increasing the knowledge and skills of the incumbent workers.

Governor Doyle proposes increasing funding for the training grant program by four-fold, increasing the total grant pool from the $2 million allocated during the 2005-07 biennium to $8 million during 2007-09. The additional funding will allow the technical colleges to serve approximately 35,000 incumbent workers at about 250 additional firms over the 2007-09 biennium.

To date, grant recipients have included firms of all sizes, mainly targeted in the manufacturing and business services sectors. Examples include: S.C. Johnson Wax; LDV, Inc. (a manufacturer of homeland security vehicles); PDM Bridge (a bridge fabricator); Bay Towel; Mercury Marine; and Johnsonville Sausage.

A recent survey of grant recipients by the WTCS State Office indicates that 97% of employers were satisfied with the training and 100% of the respondents felt the training increased their employees’ skills.

Financial Aid

Technical college students would see a slight increase in financial aid under Governor Doyle’s budget proposal. The spending blueprint would increase Wisconsin Higher Education Grant for WTCS students (WHEG-WTCS) by 2.5% in 2007-08 and by 2.4% in 2008-09, for a total increase of 5% over the biennium.

It should be noted that in recent years technical college fee increases have exceeded 2.5% by a substantial margin. Tuition increases for postsecondary/vocational programs and liberal arts transfer programs have averaged about 7.5% and 6.7%, respectively, over the last three years. The technical colleges requested an increase of 8.1% in each year of the 2007-09 biennium.

The Governor proposes increasing the Wisconsin Higher Education Grant for UW students (WHEG-UW) by 6.3% in 2007-08 and 5.4% in 2008-09.

Veteran Tuition Remission

Wisconsin Act 468, which provides technical college and UW fee remission for veterans and eligible spouses and dependents, is partially funded in the 2007-09 budget proposal. Passed during the 2005-07 legislative session, the implementation of Wisconsin Act 468 was delayed until fall 2007 to allow advocates to seek funding for the remission. Without funding, the remission could shift tuition costs to non-veteran students – state law that requires the technical colleges to recoup a certain percentage of instructional costs through tuition. Governor Doyle’s budget provides approximately half the amount necessary to fully fund the remission and expands eligibility for the remission.

Youth Apprenticeship

Governor Doyle’s budget also proposes to double the size of the Youth Apprenticeship program, which combines classroom and work-based learning to instruct high school students in one of 21 program areas. Completers are eligible to receive advanced standing in a technical college degree program.

Minority Undergraduate Retention Grants

The Governor proposes a 2.5% increase in each year of the biennium for the Minority Undergraduate Retention Grant program. The grant program had not been increased since the 2002-03 fiscal year.

Wisconsin Covenant

The Governor creates the Office of the Wisconsin Covenant, housed in the Department of Administration, to administer the Wisconsin Covenant program. Under the Covenant, Wisconsin’s respective postsecondary systems (UW, WTCS & participating private colleges) will prioritize entrance of Covenant Scholars into their system and identify a place, if possible, in the system of the scholar’s choosing. Covenant Scholars will also have access to financial aid, and will be provided with the support services necessary for them to attain a higher education.

Other

Several other aspects of the Governor’s budget merit attention, especially the so-called Growth Agenda for the University of Wisconsin. The Growth Agenda includes a component called the UW Colleges’ Adult Student Initiative, services and course delivery “designed specifically to meet the needs of the adult working population.” Details are limited at this point, but the Growth Agenda – and specifically the Adult Student Initiative – bear watching.