Because the states’ colleges and universities tie in with the development of a skilled workforce, the education budget bills were weighty ones this past session.

“One of the overriding objectives of the university system is to carry out the expectations of the people, that we are in tune with the workforce needs of the state and the region,” said Bill Goetz, chancellor of the North Dakota University System.

Goetz said that meant helping high school graduates transition to college and helping people who wanted to go back to school find ways to do that was a top priority. In order to do that, the State Board of Higher Education requested $20 million in funding this session for needs-based tuition assistance.

The executive budget recommendation doubled that, including $40 million in Senate Bill 2003, which contained the budget for the university system. That amount was reduced in the House to about $9.4 million.

“This is very significant because it speaks to whether students will have an opportunity to have further education beyond high school,” Goetz said.

He added that it could also impact possible older students who never got to attend college but may be working toward it now. About $8.2 million had been amended out and back into the bill by the time it was assigned to a conference committee.

This money was meant to cap tuition increases for the biennium at four-year colleges at 4 percent and freeze tuition at two year colleges. Sen. Karen Krebsbach, R-Minot said that money could be covered with $10 million for equity that had been amended out and then back into the bill.

The bill also contains $2 million for the science, technology, engineering and math student loan forgiveness program. That amount wasn’t reduced by either house by the time conference committees began.

Marketing the state’s two year career and technical colleges to North Dakota students and parents in an effort to develop skilled workforce in critical areas was funded at $800,000 in the university system budget bill.

Another $200,000 was set aside for marketing efforts at Valley City following the flooding this spring. By the 77th legislative day, the university budget bill was still being discussed by a conference committee.