ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
community college
funding; study committee
Establishes a joint legislative study committee to address community college funding. Appropriates $250,000 in each of FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 from the state general fund to the state fire marshal for a burn facility at Central Arizona College. Appropriates $500,000 in each of FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 from the state general fund to the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board for completion of a regional law enforcement training center at Central Arizona College.
There are ten community college districts and one provisional community college district in Arizona and each is governed by a locally elected community college district governing board. All counties in the State have a community college district within the county boundaries, except for Apache, Gila and Greenlee counties.
The major sources of funding to operate community colleges are the primary property tax levy, formula-based state aid, equalization aid, tuition and fees, bonds and other forms of indebtedness and cash balances. The amount of funds expended by community colleges is limited pursuant to the Arizona Constitution. Limitations are based upon expenditure levels in 1979-1980, and are adjusted by enrollment growth and inflation. Currently, each community college or community college district submits a budget request to the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges (Board) and then the Board compiles a budget on behalf of all community colleges for consideration by the Legislature.
This legislation addresses funding issues associated with the community college system, appropriates $250,000 for a burn facility and $500,000 in FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 for a law enforcement training center, both located at Central Arizona College.
In her veto message, Governor Hull mentioned the following concerns with the bill: (1) many of the same issues the study would review were addressed in the December 2000 report of the Governor's Higher Education Task Force, (2) staffing assignments addressed in the bill, (3) the bill contains a general fund appropriation for encouraging education partnerships before this issue was studied, (4) monies for the maintenance of state university buildings was recently vetoed, and (5) difficult budget times require programs to seek other funding sources.
1. Appropriates $250,000 in each of FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 from the state general fund to the state fire marshal for a burn facility located at Central Arizona College.
2. Appropriates $500,000 in each of FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 from the state general fund to the Arizona Peace Officers and Training Board for completing construction of a regional law enforcement training center at Central Arizona College.
3. Establishes a 16-member joint legislative study committee (Committee) to address community college funding.
4. Requires the Committee to study the following issues: (a) the operating costs of community colleges, (b) the adequacy of current funding supporting community colleges in Arizona, (c) the funding arrangements supporting community colleges in other states, and (d) articulation issues, and (e) ways to acquire funding and enter into agreements with political subdivisions to construct facilities for education and training.
5. Requires the Committee to submit a report of findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature by December 31, 2001.
6. Allows the Committee to use staff services of the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges, the Arizona Community Colleges Association and community college districts.
7. Repeals the Committee on December 31, 2001.
8. Provides for a general effective date.
Amendments
Adopted by the Education Committee
1. Adds two additional members to the study committee:
a. A state taxpayer.
b. A president of a community college system in a county with a population greater than one million persons.
2. Changes the representative from a tax policy organization to a president of a tax policy organization.
3. Clarifies that the president of a community college system in a county with a population greater than five thousand persons should also be a "population with less than one million persons."
Amendments Adopted by Committee of the Whole
1. Appropriates $250,000 in each of FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 from the state general fund to the state fire marshal for a burn facility located at Central Arizona College.
2. Appropriates $500,000 in each of FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 from the state general fund to the Arizona Peace Officers and Training Board for completing construction of a regional law enforcement training center at Central Arizona College.
3. Requires the Committee to examine ways to acquire funding and enter into agreements with political subdivisions to construct facilities for education and training.
4. Changes the committee membership from the president of a tax policy organization to the chairman of a tax policy organization.
5. Repeals the Committee on December 31, 2001.
RGO 3/19/01 DPA/SE 7-0-0-3 ED 3/29/01 DPA 6-1-1
APPROP 3/13/01 DPA/SE 12-0-1-3 APPROP 3/27/01 DP 8-1-3
3rd Read 3/19/01 47-9-4-0 3rd Read 4/26/01 18-10-2-0
Final Read 4/30/01 39-16-5-0
Vetoed by the Governor 5/4/01
Prepared by Senate Staff
May 16, 2001