Using the Running Start Option to Fund Your College Education Program

Transcription

1 Antioch University Seattle Policy Brief about Financing an Early College Class To: Washington State s Early College for Native Youth Partners From: Linda Campbell, Executive Director, & Bjorn Danielson, Policy Coordinator Date: April 12, 2006 Revised October 20, 2006 Re: Adapting the Running Start Option and Tapping BEA Funds for ECNY Courses Overview This policy brief explains how ECHSs in Washington State can use Running Start and Basic Education dollars to assist with financial sustainability. There is sufficient statutory authority to use the Running Start (RS) program at secondary schools, including early college high schools (ECHSs). College and university courses can be taught at an ECHS for RS students. In fact, postsecondary courses have been taught on secondary campuses for RS students for a number of years. This use of the RS program is known by OSPI, SBCTC, and the Washington State Attorney General s office. While many people have questioned the practice of providing RS students college courses on a high school campus, the majority of those concerns are related to funding. A school district and college or university may not both claim the FTE for a RS student. However, it is possible for a district to bring over 1 FTE worth of BEA for a single student by offering RS courses on its campus. Essentially, this can occur if a student takes a full high school load, and, in addition, as a RS student, takes a postsecondary course wherever it is located. The grid below answers some common questions about using the RS program on a secondary campus, provides sources for these findings, and can guide your decisions in deciding whether to use this strategy at your school. References to findings follow the grid. Next, suggested steps for using the RS program at an ECHS are offered. Lastly, a hypothetical scenario is provided to conceptualize funding considerations. Detailed s and s RS Option for EC, Policy Brief, Center for Native Antioch University Seattle 1

2 College is used below to denote all institutions of higher education able to participate in the RS program. Please note that there are no RS classes or courses, only RS students. Often, though, a class full of RS students is referred to as a RS class although from a policy and legal standpoint, that class should simply be considered a college course. In this case, that class just happens to be filled with high school (HS) students (who are also college students, and commonly referred to as RS students). This is important because it frames how one thinks about using RS on a secondary campus. How do RS students draw education funding? (Expanded citations listed on page 4 and 5.) A college reports RS enrollment to the school district on a Running Start monthly basis. The district reports to OSPI. OSPI Reimbursement Rates, reimburses the district per vocational or nonvocational FY and OSPI annual average FTE (AAFTE) rates. (For FY , the Memo No 52-04M (RS academic AAFTE rate is $4,166 and the vocational Coordinator s Guide p.48 & AAFTE rate is $4,935.) Districts may retain 7% and are 49) required to pass the remainder on to the college that provided the course. The course cannot, for funding purposes, be both a basic education offering and a college course for Running Start. It is conceivable that both regular high school courses and Running Start courses could be offered at different times on a high school campus, and separately generate basic education allocation (BEA) and Running Start funding. However, the conduct of the courses by the high school and by a college or university should be demonstrably separate and distinct. Washington State Auditor s Office can audit the use of RS. If noncompliance is determined, state monies can be recovered. College partners can provide a stipend to an instructor to help defray additional costs above and beyond the teacher s regular contracted duties incurred by teaching the college course. (This assumes the instructor is also a regularly contracted secondary teacher, which is not a requirement.) Any money paid to an instructor might create the appearance of double pay for the same work. Transparency of any additional payments, if made for Question 54 & Answer, Italics added. (RS Coordinator s Guide, p.47) OSPI Memo No 52-04M (RS Coordinator s Guide, p.50) RS Option for EC, Policy Brief, Center for Native Antioch University Seattle 2

3 work done on top of contracted responsibilities, should be ensured. If a stipend is provided by the district, benefits and retirement should be considered. RS Program on Secondary Campus A college class can be offered wherever the college chooses including on a secondary school campus. If a student is eligible for RS, he or she is entitled to take the course. Stolier Q&A #54 (RS Coordinator s Guide, p.47) If a HS student meets the college s entrance criteria but is not RS eligible, he or she might still be able to take the class. In this case, the proposed course financing option may still hold true, even though it would be with non-rs dollars. The rules shall be written to encourage the maximum use of the program and shall not narrow or limit the enrollment options under RCW 28A through 28A RCW 28B (Agreements for use of services or facilities between district boards of trustees and school boards.) RCW 28A (RS Coordinator s Guide, p.18) Student Composition in RS Courses A college class on a high school campus could enroll any HS students the college would admit. This could include those qualifying for RS funding and those who do not, e.g. an otherwise qualified 10 th grade student depending on college requirements. Student composition in college classes could be limited by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreed upon by the school district and college. Applicable WACs and RCWs do not mention student composition. Running Start Legislative (RS Coordinator s Guide, p.14-32) Instructors Instructors have to be approved by the college or RS Option for EC, Policy Brief, Center for Native Antioch University Seattle 3

4 university. They will likely need to have at least a master s degree in the content area they will be teaching. College instructors do not need secondary teaching certificates to teach college courses on a secondary campus. If a college instructor teaching a college course does not have a certificate and is not highly qualified, neither the district nor school will be negatively affected in terms of NCLB sanctions. Background checks should probably be conducted on all instructors who will have regularly scheduled unsupervised access to children. Whether the district or college partner hires and pays the instructor s salary, benefits and/or a stipend, consideration should be made as to which institution will have the liability and could demonstrate to an auditor what added valued the various payments (stipend, salary, etc.) covered. Consideration should be made as to what the title will be for the instructor who teaches the college course. Districts should consult their collective bargaining agreements. Stolier RCW 28A (Record checks for employees.) Stolier Selected References & Resources 1. RS Coordinator s Guide a. 05 Running Start Coordinator s Guide. Printed with funds from the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. i. PDF version: ii. Contents: 1. RS Progress Report 2. RS Legislation 3. RS Questions and Answers 4. RS Funding Procedures a. Reimbursement Rates b. OSPI Billing Memo 5. RS Advising 6. Resources 2. RS in your EC? a. Running Start in your Early College? Center for Native Education, Antioch University Seattle. i. Summary of RS Considerations from 9/10/05. RS Option for EC, Policy Brief, Center for Native Antioch University Seattle 4

5 ii. To request a copy, please Linda Campbell at lcampbell@antiochseattle.edu. 3. Stolier a. and phone communication with Assistant Attorney General Dave Stolier. Mr. Stolier has worked on RS for a number of years. He is OSPI s Lead Counsel. 4. a. and phone communication with Emmett, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Services, Spokane School District No. 81. Implementation Steps To use RS at an early college high school, the following process is recommended. Of course, there are other ways to use RS at an ECHS. Schools and districts are encouraged, should they chose to pursue this option, to follow the process which makes the most sense for their particular situations. Suggested steps: 1. Learn how the RS program could be used. This memo is intended to help. The 2005 RS Coordinator s Guide is a comprehensive resource. 2. Get administrators from college and district to agree to look into the RS option. 3. Discuss concerns about pursing this option (which students would be able to participate, funding, staffing, etc.). Discuss the parameters of what will be expected in doing this. 4. Think about how to address funding, an MOU, student recruitment and advising, choosing the appropriate first course, ensuring cultural integration, scheduling, staff training, student supports, staffing, student numbers per class requirements. 5. Draft an MOU. 6. Go through MOU vetting process. 7. Sign MOU. 8. Schedule 1 st class. 9. Recruit students. 10. Assess/test potential students and sign them up. 11. Teach course. 12. Submit enrollment count forms. 13. Assess process, experience and results. 14. Repeat steps Hypothetical Scenario: Mr. Smith is a certificated teacher who was granted adjunct faculty status at the early college s partner postsecondary institution. As a 1.0 FTE in the fall of 2005, he taught four HS English classes, a 5 quarter credit English college course, and had one prep period. The college course averaged 15 students over the time of the class. (RS funds are allocated based on monthly student numbers, not on the number of students who start or complete a course.) Each student took a combination of five HS science, math and art courses and the college English course. As a result, the district was able to count each adolescent as a 1.0 FTE high RS Option for EC, Policy Brief, Center for Native Antioch University Seattle 5

6 school student and a 0.3 FTE college student. Mr. Smith had one prep period during which he prepared for all five of his classes. He also did more work outside his prep period to teach the college course. The college paid him a stipend (not salary) of $1,500 for that additional work. It also paid the HS counseling department $150 to help defray some of its extra work. The district paid the teacher 1.0 FTE because Mr. Smith s collective bargaining contract is for a teaching load of five classes with one prep period. The district carried the liability and neither the district nor college double dipped from the state or double paid the teacher as a result of the college course. The state reimbursed the district 5/15 th (1/3 rd ) of an AAFTE of the BEA for each student s HS courses. The state also reimbursed the district 1/9 th of the Annual Academic RS Reimbursement Rate for each student s college class, which for the year is $463 per 5 quarter credit course. The district kept 7% of the $463 ($32.41) for each student before passing the rest on to the college. Since the course averaged 15 students, that allowed the district to retain $ and the college to collect $6, After the college paid Mr. Smith the $1500 stipend and $150 to the counseling department, it had about $4,800 left. Presumably, the college used that to pay for trainings and mentor teacher meetings with Mr. Smith, any liaison work related to setting up the MOU and course, transcription, ensuring the college standards were met, and so on. In this scenario, the district gains money because the $ retained from the RS funds is on top of the HS BEA allocated by the state. The college probably had at least all of its costs covered, especially because its instructor cost was low. Of course, in reality there would probably be a combination of students taking full HS loads plus college, and those taking a reduced HS load along with their college class or classes. Obviously, there are many other factors or scenarios one should consider before using RS at an early college high school, including financial implications. Hopefully, this briefing will inform ECHS decisions about whether to proceed with this strategy. For questions or comments, please contact Linda lcampbell@antiochseattle.edu. RS Option for EC, Policy Brief, Center for Native Antioch University Seattle 6