Committee approves SB 216 to restructure higher‑education performance and enrollment funding

Senators approved an amended version of SB 216, a bill that restructures higher‑education funding in Utah by setting performance metrics on a five‑year baseline and smoothing enrollment funding over a five‑year period.

Sponsor Senator Milner explained the bill’s core features: community and regional institutions would be measured on first‑year retention and completion; degree‑granting and research universities would be measured on high‑demand degree production, completion, degrees per full‑time equivalent (efficiency), and research dollars. The bill allows institutions to select a limited set of high‑need jobs tailored to their mission (for example, technical colleges could select different priority jobs than research universities). Enrollment funding would be distributed based on a five‑year trend, with increases granted for average growth above 1% and reductions for declines exceeding 1%.

Committee members raised technical and policy questions. Members asked whether the bill’s lists of high‑demand jobs would include teachers and whether certificates count as completions for technical colleges; the sponsor said the process allows adding high‑need jobs (including teachers) and that certificates and degrees count for tech colleges’ completion measures.

Public commenters included Brad Acy, president of AFT Utah, who urged clearer communication to faculty and staff about how the funding changes would affect programs and priorities. A committee member praised the bill’s attention to trades, arguing workforce and apprenticeship needs justify the focus.

Senator Hankins moved that the committee send SB 216 as amended to the full Senate; the motion passed by the chair’s unanimous ruling and the bill will move forward with the amendment adopted in committee.