Legislative committee backs performance-based funding for colleges

Budgets of Northern Nevada community colleges were pushed one step closer to the chopping block on Wednesday.

"In one fell swoop, all will be lost," contended former GOP Assemblyman John Carpenter of Elko, who tried to persuade a legislative committee not to recommend that lawmakers cut state funding to Great Basin College by one-third in the next session. "If we don't have that college in our rural area, we're going to be in a world of hurt."

But by the end of the nine-hour meeting, the committee largely agreed with the Board of Regents that a new performance-based formula should be used to divide higher education dollars, re-slicing the pie to make the system more "equitable," in the words of almost everyone involved.

The proposed formula would cut $13.2 million from four colleges and give it instead to University of Nevada, Las Vegas, College of Southern Nevada and Nevada State College. Great Basin would receive $9.5 million compared with $14 million in 2011-12.

"It is not perfect, but it is fair," argued Charles Milne, faculty senate chair for College of Southern Nevada, which would receive $84.6 million compared with $77.6 million in 2011-12.

But Carpenter, the Elko mayor, and Elko County commissioners argued that cutting one-third of Great Basin's funds would be a "catastrophic loss" to the only college available to the Northern Nevada students who can't afford to attend urban universities, according to the resolution passed by the rural county's commission.

If legislators pass the proposal, Western Nevada College would receive $10.5 million, down from $15 million. And Truckee Meadows Community College would get 9 percent less at $27.7 million, down from $30.6 million.

University of Nevada, Reno's funding cut would have little effect, being a 1 percent cut of $1.3 million.

Under the proposed system, college funding wouldn't be determined by simply counting the number of students enrolled in courses. It would be based on the number of students who complete courses, looking at colleges' output instead of input. Funding also would vary for courses, giving more money for classes that cost more to offer.

On top of that base funding, there would be a pool of funds divided according to schools' performance, such as graduation rates.

Contact reporter Trevon Milliard at tmilliard@review
journal.com or 702-383-0279.