[Wsssc] Joint SBCTC/COP Letter to OSPI

[Lauren Hibbs]

Good evening,

Please see the attached letter that SBCTC and the Council of Presidents sent to Superintendent Chris Reykdal and forwarded to key state legislators regarding OSPI’s recent decision to rescind policy guidance around the expansion of Running Start through the recent passage of HB 1316<https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2023-24/Pdf/Bills/Session%20Laws/House/1316-S2.SL.pdf?q=20230804121642>. In summary, OSPI is withdrawing current guidance around the definition of the new 1.4 Annual Full Time Equivalent, which will reverse quarterly enrollment back to 15 credits.

Additionally, OSPI is unwilling to address the monthly count date discrepancy for the summer quarter. In short, our colleges won’t receive three monthly count dates of tuition reimbursement that is currently in place for fall, winter, and spring -- but rather only two -- which means colleges will not be compensated the same reimbursement amount for summer quarter.

While we don’t know what the outcome of this letter will be, we want you to be aware that we are doing our part to express our extreme dissatisfaction with this decision as the SBCTC team and our colleges have dedicated a lot of time and resources since the end of the 2023 legislative session to make system changes and revisions to business practices to ensure a seamless transition for students and our school district partners.

We’ll keep you posted.

Paul

Paul Francis
Executive Director
Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
pfrancis at sbctc.edu<mailto:pfrancis at sbctc.edu> • o: 360-704-4355
sbctc.edu<https://www.sbctc.edu/> • Twitter: @SBCTCWashington<https://twitter.com/SBCTCWashington> • Facebook: @WASBCTC<https://www.facebook.com/wasbctc/>

SBCTC Vision - “Leading with racial equity, our colleges maximize student potential and transform lives within a culture of belonging that advances racial, social, and economic justice in service to our diverse communities.”

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