Sunset Commission Recommends Reauthorizing Coordinating Board

The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission met recently and voted to continue the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for an additional 12 years. This recommendation will be voted upon during the upcoming legislative session. Among the recommended changes are:

1. Reduce the size of the Higher Education Coordinating Board from 18 to 15.

2. Require the Coordinating Board to articulate implementation strategies for the higher education plan, and report biennially to the Legislature on statutory changes that would allow the agency to better support the plan.

3. Require the Coordinating Board to annually assess its current activities and how well they support Closing the Gaps.

4. Require the Coordinating Board to report biennially to the Legislature on changes to the higher education funding system that best support the higher education plan.

5. Establish the P-16 Council in statute and the statutory requirement for the Joint Advisory Committee should be repealed.

6. Restructure the Teach for Texas Conditional Grant program and hybrid programs into loan repayment programs.

7. The Coordinating Board should be required to conduct a study of the laws relating to student financial aid programs and report to the Legislature on needed changes.

8. Require the Coordinating Board to distribute all Hinson-Hazlewood College Student Loan funds through the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation’s Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) System and to preclude the Coordinating Board from originating any new, independent FFELP loans through the Hinson-Hazlewood Program.

9. The Coordinating Board should, where possible, allocate Hinson-Hazlewood funds in a manner more reflective of higher education priorities.

10. The Coordinating Board should include the Texas financial Aid Information Center’s toll-free call center number on any promotional materials developed, the number should be included as a part of the public awareness and motivational higher education campaign, and the call center should be evaluated along with other Closing the Gaps activities.

11. Repeal Education Code Subchapter Q relating to State Postsecondary Review Program.

12. Require the use of the Common Course Numbering System by all public institutions of higher education under the direction of the Coordinating Board and require that all shared data regarding student transfers be in a uniform format established by the Coordinating Board.

13. The Coordinating Board should be required to conduct a comprehensive review of the reports required of colleges and universities to look for redundancies, efficiencies and potential deletions.

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    The Quarterly eBulletin Copyright TACT 2002

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