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Mo. panel wants performance funding for colleges

The campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo.
(via Flickr/Adam Procter)
The campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo.

A task force is recommending that funding for universities and community colleges in Missouri be based in part on graduation rates and other performance-based criteria.

The recommendation was presented today in Jefferson City to the state’sCoordinating Board for Higher Education.  State Senator David Pearce(R, Warrensburg) chairs the Senate Education Committee.

“Those schools that do well need to be rewarded for that, and those that don’t, that’s kind of a wake-up call," Pearce said.  "There are certain areas that I think we need to focus on, and colleges need to be rewarded for that.”

The criteria would vary – for universities, it could include increases in degrees awarded and higher retention rates for first and second-year students.   For community colleges, it could include the number of students who either transfer to a 4-year university or who get an Associate’s Degree within three years.

Pearce plans to file legislation to implement performance-based criteria during the regular session, which begins next month. 

Marshal was a political reporter for St. Louis Public Radio until 2018.