A new state Board of Higher Education as proposed by Gov. Josh Shapiro would consist of 15 voting members, one from each sector of postsecondary education, plus government, business, labor and student representatives.

Details are contained in twin pieces of legislation introduced Monday by Sen. Jay Costa Jr. , D-Forest Hills, and by Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Allentown, in support of the governor’s plan to reimagine higher education, unveiled in February.

There is no mention in either bill of what had been a key part of the governor’s initial proposal. It involved bringing Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities and 15 community colleges under one governing body.

Pennsylvania governors, both Democrat and Republican, have a long history of commissions and other efforts to bring affordability and better coordination to what some have called a Wild West approach to post-secondary education.

Some of those initiatives have gathered dust for years.

Shapiro’s Blueprint for Higher Education, part of his proposed 2024-25 Commonwealth budget, also asks for a cap of $1,000-a-semester in tuition and fees for Pennsylvanians attending state universities or community colleges and a $1,000 boost in state grants.

For months, Shapiro’s plan has faced skepticism from Republicans in the Legislature for reasons including lack of specifics. The GOP has proposed its own approach that includes using financial aid to boost campus access and steer Pennsylvanians and non-Pennsylvanians to in-demand fields of study.

Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana and Senate Pro Tempore Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, could not immediately be reached for comment Monday. Nor could Costa, the minority Leader, or Rep. Schweyer, chair of the House Education Committee.

The governor on Friday announced that Costa and Schweyer would introduce legislation but did not lay out specifics of the new board.

The bills themselves provide those details and argue what’s at stake.

“The lack of Statewide coordination or a strategic vision aligned to the needs of Pennsylvanians has led to too much competition and duplication in some parts of the Commonwealth, and too little access to postsecondary education in others,” stated legislation by Sen. Costa, mirrored in Rep. Schweyer’s bill.

“The board is charged with the duty to take an active part in promoting quality, accessible and affordable postsecondary education throughout this Commonwealth,” stated the legislation.

To highlight the cost barrier, Shapiro cited the National College Attainment Network (NCAN), which said Pennsylvania is one of the least affordable states to attend college, with only 18% of two-year institutions and 0% of four-year institutions attainable for low- and moderate-income families. By comparison, 63% of two-year institutions and 31% of four-year institutions nationally are affordable for that same population of students.

The new board’s responsibilities would include setting higher education priorities for the state, developing a strategic plan for higher education in the Commonwealth, making recommendations regarding tuition and fees and on new programs to ensure they fit with the Commonwealth’s workforce needs.

Regarding state universities and community colleges, at least some powers now vested with the state Department of Education and Council of Higher Education would be transferred to the new entity, but it was not immediately clear how of the new panel’s duties would involve governance versus coordination.

Nationwide, 20 states have a single state coordinating body for public higher education, according to the Denver-based Education Commission on the States. They include Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

Eight states have a single governing board for higher education, including Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota and Rhode Island.

Voting members on the new state board, as spelled out in the Costa and Schweyer legislation, would include:

• The Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Labor and Industry

• A member of the state Senate appointed by the president pro tempore

• One member of the Senate appointed by the Minority Leader

• One member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House

• One member of the House of Representatives as appointed by the Minority leader

Also, nine members would be appointed by the governor that would include a representative of a state-owned university; a representative of a community college; a representative from an independent institution of higher education; a representative of a State-related university; a representative of a historically black college and university; a representative of a union representing employees at public institutions of higher education; a representative of business; and two students who attend an institution of higher education .

The unpaid panel would meet at least once every three months and would hire an executive director and have access to staff and legal counsel.

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