Future Ready Oregon and Other Legislative Proposals Rooted in Equity Goals
Message from Executive Director Ben Cannon
During this short Legislative Session, Oregonians are thinking big about higher education and workforce training because we have big challenges to face. Despite the economic recovery, too many Oregonians—and especially those who are already underserved and marginalized—have been left out from economic prosperity and family-wage careers. The incredible challenges of the pandemic have exacerbated Oregon’s workforce crisis, and focused us on urgent efforts to address longstanding systemic barriers that are disproportionately impacting Black, Indigenous, Latino/a/x, and other people of color, people with low incomes, and rural Oregonians in the workforce. For those who are employed, too many have paychecks that are simply too low to meet basic needs. At the same time, we know that employers with good-paying jobs in growing fields are seeking workers with the skills and credentials to excel.
We are excited by Governor Brown's Future Ready Oregon proposal, a groundbreaking, $200M infusion of funding in workforce and training in Oregon with an intentional focus on those who are most underserved. If approved, the HECC is ready and prepared to hit the ground running in implementing this vision. Importantly, this proposal focuses on doing more, and also doing things differently: these are strategic and targeted investments aimed at making Oregon’s workforce system more equitable and racially just. Among other developments this Legislative Session, we are also excited by the Governor’s proposal for an extensive expansion of financial support for Tribal students. We are continually identifying ways to improve existing programs to more equitably serve Oregonians, including through proposed adjustments to the Oregon Promise to better serve low-income students, and more. I invite you to read more in the article and links that follow.
Thank you for your engagement as always.
Future Ready: Addressing Oregon's Workforce Needs with an Equity Lens
One of Governor Kate Brown’s major proposals for the 2022 Legislative Session is Future Ready Oregon 2022 (SB 1545), a $200 million package of investments to give people the education, training, and resources they need to get into good-paying jobs. Focused on equitable prosperity, this funding would focus on realizing the full potential of Oregon’s workforce, and meeting the needs of Oregon’s employers today and into the future.
In particular, Future Ready Oregon 2022 focuses on advancing opportunities for historically underserved communities, including adult learners, dislocated workers, and youth. Investments emphasize recruitment, retention, and career advancement opportunities, while prioritizing key populations, including people of color, women, people with low incomes, rural communities, veterans, and Oregonians who are incarcerated and formerly incarcerated. If approved, many of the funds would be administered through the HECC, working with state and local workforce boards, community-based and culturally-specific organizations, education & training providers, employers, and other partners, and bolstering current HECC statewide workforce strategies. The package includes:
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Leveraging Existing Successes ($92.5M) —Expand investments in programs that are successfully providing career-connected learning opportunities for historically underserved communities, including local workforce boards, Postsecondary Career Pathways programs, registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, credit for prior learning, and disconnected youth workforce readiness and reengagement initiatives.
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Competitive Workforce Readiness Grants ($95M) — Resources and supports to remove barriers and improve access to the workforce system, and connecting key populations to job training, employment, and career advancement opportunities.
- Other investments are detailed in the link below, including investments to support workforce benefits navigators, consortia for key industry sectors, and more.
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Commission Adjusts Public Meeting Practices to Foster Deeper Engagement
Under the leadership of Chair Terry Cross, the HECC has adjusted its practices for invited testimony at its Commission meetings in order to foster deeper conversations with our community partners. Instead of the previous practice of inviting short updates from an established list of invited partners, the Commission now invites one or two diverse community partners—including leaders of community-based organizations—to present for a longer period of conversation, and to offer recommendations on what is needed from the HECC and State of Oregon in order to advance their work. In addition, the Commission continues to welcome all members of the public and established partners to provide input on agenda topics during public testimony and/or to submit written comments.
At the December 9, 2021 public meeting, the Commission heard and discussed invited testimony from Efraín Rivas-Flores, Vice President of MENTE, who presented on MENTE and this organization's work to eliminate educational gender disparities for Latinx males.
At the February 10, 2022 public meeting, the Commission heard and discussed invited testimony from community advocate Sandy Tsuneyoshi regarding the Pacific Islander community, cultural competency, accountability to equity goals, and more.
The Commission in February also engaged a presentation from a panel of the HECC Equity Advisory Committee, and discussed the extensive contributions and recommendations of these partners.
HECC Proposes Doubling Oregon Promise Grant Amount for Low-Income Students
As in prior Sessions, the HECC continues to advocate for an increased focus on equity in state financial aid program design. This Legislative Session, we have proposed modifying the Oregon Promise Grant to distribute more funds to low-income students.
Currently designed, the award amount for low-income students has not changed as college costs have increased. The Oregon Promise is a "last dollar" grant, meaning the award amount is calculated after other need-based public grants such as the Pell Grant or the Oregon Opportunity Grant. As a result, low-income students, who often qualify for these other grants, receive only the minimum Oregon Promise award of $1,000. While the maximum award amount for the program increases with the rising tuition rates, the minimum amount has been frozen by statute since 2016. To better support low-income students struggling with the increasing costs of college, HECC has proposed doubling the minimum award amount from $1,000 to $2,000, and indexing future increases to the increase with the average community college tuition rate. We have also proposed removing the $50 per term co-pay, reducing the grade-point-average (GPA) requirement from 2.5 to 2.0, and eliminating the first-year experience. These proposals are currently in SB 1522-A and are detailed in our recent testimony here.
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Tribal Access Grant Would Significantly Increase Supports for Enrolled Members of Oregon-Based Tribes
We are pleased to be working with the Governor's Office and Oregon’s Tribal leadership on the development of a $30 million package creating new grants targeted to students who are members of one of Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes. The Tribal Access Grant would fund most undergraduate and graduate higher education expenses of enrolled members of Oregon-based Tribes. If approved, this would be a historically significant investment to support recognized members of Oregon-based Tribes, regardless of current state of residency, as they work toward their first associates, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees at eligible Oregon colleges and universities.
A recent HECC data analysis on education and training after high school for Oregonians who identify as Native American/Alaska Native shows the extensive challenges Tribal students face in an educational system that introduces extensive systemic barriers at every step of the way.
The Tribal Access Grant would ensure that the most significant educational expenses are eliminated, improving affordable access to Oregon public and non-profit institutions of higher education for Tribal students. It would create a dedicated fund that can receive private and tribal donations, to help ensure the longevity of the program. The HECC looks forward to conversations on this proposal, and we will implement the grant in time for the 2022-2023 academic year through the Office of Student Access and Completion if it is approved.
Financial Conditions Report Provides High-Level Evaluation of the Financial Health Oregon's 7 Public Universities
Published in response to a legislative budget note (HB 5024, 2019), the annual report is intended to inform state efforts to serve Oregonians.
We are pleased to announce the second edition of the Financial Conditions Report, an analysis aiming to provide clear, reader-friendly information to policymakers and partners on the financial conditions of the state’s seven public universities. Developed by the HECC Office of Postsecondary Finance and Capital, the report addresses two key inquires, based on calculations for the past five fiscal years. First, is the institution financially capable of successfully carrying out its current programs? Second, is the institution able to carry out its intended programs well into the future, as we work to achieve the state's educational attainment and equity goals?
Overall, the report, summarized in the document here, shows that the financial condition at all seven universities during fiscal year 2021, as measured by the adjusted composite financial index (CFI), has improved. However, it is unclear whether this will be sustained. The improvements are largely due to extraordinary federal revenues received which have allowed the universities to offset the revenue losses and increased costs associated with responding to the pandemic. These revenues and cost saving measures employed during the pandemic are temporary. It is uncertain what this will mean for the universities’ finances going forward with enrollment flat or reduced, and other pressing factors.
Recommendations for Adults in Custody to Access Federal Aid
We are pleased to report that HECC recently submitted a report to the Oregon Legislature from the SB 234 Workgroup, Postsecondary Education for Adults in Custody. The report offers recommendations on how to establish a coordinated, statewide approach to best serve Oregon adults currently in custody who will become eligible soon for federal Pell grants due to 2020 changes in federal law.
The authors emphasize that equity is a vital principal of this coordinated Pell rollout, with an attention to equitable educational access regardless of gender, race and geographical location. While some in Oregon’s prisons have had access to some higher educational courses for years, women and people of color have been particularly underserved. Specific recommendations detailed in the report relate to curriculum and course delivery, technology, and policy changes to maximize equitable roll out of Pell statewide. The report is the result of more than 5 public meetings of the SB 234 Workgroup, which was convened in fall 2021 as directed by SB 234 (2021).
Commission to Expand Membership with 2021 Legislation: Senate Confirms New Commissioners Appointed by the Governor
With the passage of SB 712 in 2021, several changes were made to the membership of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission which take effect with appointments confirmed after January 1, 2022. The bill adds a member to the Commission who is currently a graduate student. The bill also converts positions that are currently nonvoting positions to voting positions. Once all positions are converted, the Commission will have 15 voting member slots. Up until this year, the Commission has had 14 members, 9 of which are voting positions.
On February 10, the Oregon Senate confirmed Governor Brown’s appointments of new Commissioners to the HECC for terms that beginning March 1, 2022. Former State Senator Richard Devlin will serve in the position currently held by Commissioner Larry Roper, whose term will expire; Motutama Sipelli will serve in the new graduate student position; and Aislyn Matias will serve in the position currently held by Enrique Farrera, whose term will expire. We will introduce the new commissioners in more depth in our next newsletter.
Larry Roper and Enrique Farrera Praised for their HECC Service
At the February 10 public meeting, Commissioners praised and thanked Commissioner Roper and Commissioner Farrera for their leadership and service, with their terms on the HECC coming to a close.
Dr. Larry Roper, a former chair of the commission and leader of multiple HECC subcommittees or work groups, is one of three members who have served since the inception of the agency in 2013. He was recognized and praised for deeply influencing the values by which the commission has operated. Commissioners thanked Dr. Roper for his values-focused leadership; the grace, the integrity, and respect with which he leads; and the breadth of his vision. Dr. Roper will continue to serve as liaison to the Transfer Council after his Commission service concludes.
Enrique Farrera has served on the Commission since 2016 as a college/university staff member. Commissioners thanked Mr. Farrera for the passion he brought to the HECC from the perspective of an advisor and from community college, the depth of his perspective that informed deliberations and decision-making, and the strength of his advocacy.
Quick Response to Support Dual Credit Partners During Pandemic Recognized in National Report
Oregon's work to nimbly address complex challenges of dual credit (college courses offered in high school) programs during the pandemic was cited among innovative best practices in a national report this January. The report, College in High School Programs & Covid-19: Two Years of Challenges and Change, was published by the national organization College in High School Alliance. It features profiles of programs that made significant and interesting changes as a result of the pandemic, with a focus on changes that will persist beyond the immediate health crisis.
The quick transition to remote learning in 2020 resulted in challenges related to dual credit coursework. The state response, led by HECC and the Oregon Department of Education, involved regular forums to provide a space for education partners to learn from their peers about how they were dealing with many of the complex issues for student learning and program administration. In addition to the state coordination, the report also recognizes Portland Community College for deepening their relationships with K-12 partners.
Erin Weeks-Earp, policy specialist for HECC, says, "We were able to respond quickly because of the existence of a strong Coordinators network and our ongoing statewide policy work. We are thankful for their commitment to work together on behalf of students during the peak of the crisis."
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HECC Welcomes Celia Núñez as Deputy Director of the HECC Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development (CCWD)
We are delighted to welcome Celia Núñez—a former locally elected and appointed official, community college senior level administrator, policy advisor and proud Latina executive—to serve as HECC Deputy Director of the Office of CCWD. Ms. Núñez will work closely with CCWD Director Donna Lewelling to lead state strategic policy and funding coordination for Oregon’s locally-governed community colleges, adult basic skills and high school equivalency providers, career and technical education partners, and more. Celia has held a variety of significant leadership positions in the private sector and state government, and has a long legacy of promoting economic development and equality for historically and currently underserved and under-resourced communities.
Prior to joining HECC, she served as the Executive Director of the Chemeketa Center for Business and Industry and in numerous other leadership roles, including service for many years as the City of Wilsonville's City Councilor and City Council President. Celia has served as a Board of Trustee for the Oregon Institute of Technology and as a member of the Oregon Community Foundation’s Northern Willamette Valley Advisory Council. She earned her BA and MBA from George Fox University, and is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Program as well as other leadership programs.
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