Remedial classes-tuition free.

14LSO-0260.L2

FISCAL NOTE

The fiscal impact, in the form of decreased tuition and fee revenues from remedial classes, is indeterminable.

This bill prohibits the University of Wyoming (UW) from requiring students who graduated from a Wyoming high school to enroll in remedial classes not credited toward a degree.

This bill also prohibits the seven community colleges from requiring students who graduated from a Wyoming high school to enroll in remedial classes not credited toward a degree or certificate within three years from their high school graduation date.

UW does not offer remedial classes, however UW students register through UW, then take remedial mathematics classes through Laramie County Community College (LCCC) - Albany County campus at the college tuition rate. UW applies tuition differential funding to the Synergy Program, a first year student learning assistance program.

While UW does not require students to take remedial classes, UW assumes that under this bill, UW would no longer require resident students to have a certain level of prior knowledge to enroll in entry-level math classes.  Dropping this requirement would require UW to develop some additional supports for these students to increase the likelihood they would pass the class.  These added supports could consist of smaller class sizes, additional instructional opportunities, and online instructional support.  UW currently offers a math lab that any UW student can use to get individualized assistance, which would experience increased use under this scenario. These activities would require hiring additional instructors and faculty, but it is not possible to quantify this expense at this time. In addition, this legislation is confined to resident students, which prompts the question whether UW would need to apply this bill to non-resident and international students to be consistent.

It is anticipated that community college tuition revenues and fees from remedial courses would decrease under this bill. Tuition revenues and fees from remedial classes taken by students who graduated from a Wyoming high school within the past three years are estimated at roughly $1.3 million for FY 2015. It is assumed that some students would continue to enroll in remedial classes. Therefore, the revenue decrease would be less than $1.3 million per year. However, the percentage of students who would no longer enroll in remedial classes due to this bill cannot be estimated.

The revenue decrease to the community colleges discussed above is intended to be inclusive of tuition and fees paid by resident remedial students to community colleges for all post-secondary remedial education, including that provided by LCCC – Albany County Campus to UW-enrolled students.

Prepared by:   Dean Temte, LSO       Phone: 777-7881

(Information provided by Chris Boswell, UW; 307-766-2238:

Matt Petry, Community College Commission; 777-5859)