Alabama lawmakers held the first of three expected meetings Thursday (Aug 28). to discuss tying a portion of state funding for public four-year colleges and universities to performance metrics such as graduation rates and workforce placement.
Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, who chairs the Senate education budget committee, said outcomes-based funding could better align Alabama’s 14 public universities with workforce and economic needs.
Subscribe to The Alabama Baptist today
SIGN UP for our weekly Highlights emails
House education budget chair Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, said Alabama’s colleges and universities should be part of the plan to help raise the state’s labor force participation rate — among the lowest in the nation — and encourage graduates to stay in Alabama.
“We will certainly want to have the four-year institutions play the role they need to play, but also we want people to stay in the state,” Garrett said. “We want graduates to have careers they can do in Alabama, and it needs to be in line with where our workforce needs are, which is what the market will demand.”
Seeking accountability
Orr added that he wants accountability as part of the initiative: “Rather than… just handing them the money and saying ‘go forth and educate’ without some expectation from our end.”
Will Carroll, an analyst with HCM Strategies, outlined for lawmakers metrics used by other states, including graduation rates, transfer statistics, high-demand degrees, wages after graduation and cost-based efficiency figures.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was written by Trisha Powell Crain and originally published by the Alabama Daily News.
Share with others: