Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Success Program Montana 10 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Officials press for sustainable funding for cohort 'Montana 10' student-success program
Summary
OCHE staff reported that cohort-based student-support pilots begun in 2021 have doubled on-time graduation for 2-year cohorts and now serve 1,200 students statewide; the agency seeks a sustainable appropriation and is discussing HB 2 options with the executive branch.
Officials from the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education told the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Education that a cohort-based student-support model piloted beginning in 2021 produced measurable gains and now requires stable funding to scale and sustain the work.
Joe Thiel of OCHE summarized the results and program expansion: the pilot began with a 200-student cohort in 2021; it "doubled on time graduation for 2 year students in that cohort" and closed retention and completion gaps in the study population. OCHE said the program has expanded with a national partner and now supports about 1,200 students statewide. Thiel described the model as a cohort approach that bundles advising, financial supports and other nonacademic interventions, and officials are evaluating costs through a rigorous external evaluation.
OCHE staff said the program has so far been supported partly through unearned performance-funding dollars and philanthropic or campus reinvestments, but those sources do not provide reliable ongoing funding. A deputy commissioner told the committee the program currently is administered through the administration program rather than the appropriation distribution program and that OCHE is in ongoing conversations with the governor's office about potential HB 2 funding. Committee members urged OCHE to provide a concrete decision package with cost estimates for executive action; the deputy commissioner said negotiations are ongoing and confirmed they would report back when a figure is available.
Representative Matthews asked to be kept informed about the decision-package development. The committee chair directed staff to ensure Representative Matthews is added to DP communications.
Why it matters: the cohorts target students at risk of noncompletion (rural, first-generation, low-income) and OCHE presented evidence that intensive supports can increase credential completion and thereby improve labor-market outcomes. Lawmakers said they want an estimate of the general-fund ask to evaluate inclusion in HB 2.
Next steps: OCHE will continue discussions with the governor's office and provide the committee with a more fully developed funding proposal; legislative staff will track the DP for Montana 10 and add Representative Matthews to notifications.
