Pa. Senate Republicans push forward with alternative to Shapiro’s higher ed funding proposals

The ceiling of the main Rotunda inside Pennsylvania’s Capitol building. (Photo by Amanda Berg for the Capital-Star).

The Senate Education committee met Monday to discuss proposals put forward by Senate Republicans to address issues in the state’s higher education system like declining affordability and enrollment.

The package of bills is largely a response to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposal, addressing similar root issues by different means. As it stands, Pennsylvania ranks near last among U.S. states when it comes to higher education affordability and higher education funding per student.

“The premise of these bills are simple. We want to compete to help our young people stay here in Pennsylvania,” said Sen. Scott Martin (R-Lancaster). “This package sends a powerful message to young people: If you’re willing to work hard and earn your education for a career in high demand industries right here in PA, then we’re willing to invest to keep you here.”

The Republican package of bills would increase grant and scholarship funding to students both by expanding existing grant programs and creating new ones. It would also target funding towards students from both in-state and out-of-state entering high-demand professions in Pennsylvania like teaching, health care, agriculture and law enforcement. 

Meanwhile, Shapiro’s proposal includes a 15% funding increase to state universities and community colleges and would limit tuition to $1,000 per semester for in-state students from families making roughly $70,000 in income or less. It would also combine the  administration of community colleges and schools operating within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, a move that Republicans have generally opposed.

Speaking to the difference between the two approaches, Jason Thompson, a spokesperson for Senate Appropriations chair Martin said, “our package is a little more targeted to the industries that are in demand. For instance, the new scholarship, grant program and merit grant program are focused to students that are pursuing careers that Pennsylvania desperately needs.”

The minority chair of the Senate Education committee, Sen. Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny) appeared to express some skepticism of grants tied to specific areas of study.

“I’m worried about the prescriptiveness of [tying grants to] certain types of majors,” Williams said. “Students change majors, and they might still enter that in-demand field but from a non-traditional route.”

Speaking to that concern, Nathan Hench, the senior vice president of public affairs at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency(PHEAA), noted that different states have different work and study requirements for similar programs.

Hench also advised lawmakers to take student experiences into account when it comes to legislating who gets funding for entering high-demand fields.

“In developing such programs, it is important to allow for flexibilities,” Hench added. Those flexibilities would include ensuring that requirements for receiving the grant are not too strict. An example given would be allowing graduating students in specified fields to work in broad areas of the state instead of in hyper-specific regions. 

Hench also advised allowing program administrators leeway to award grants to students who may have minor errors in their paperwork or documentation of time spent working in their fields.

Ultimately, the Democratic-controlled House and the Republican-controlled Senate will have to find common ground in order to pass any legislation addressing issues with the state’s higher education system.

But there are key similarities. Beyond the basic goal of the two plans, both the Senate Republicans’ and the governor’s want to create a performance-based funding system for state colleges and universities. 

Both the governor’s office and Senate Republican leadership have expressed optimism in the fact that both parties appear motivated to address the same issues.

“We’re encouraged to hear Senate Republican leadership agree we need to take action to make our higher education system more competitive, create more opportunity for students and families, and address Pennsylvania’s workforce needs,” said Manuel Bonder, a spokesperson for Shapiro’s office.

The Grow PA bill package is expected to be voted on by the Senate Education committee Tuesday.

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