Haler appointed to multiple education committees

Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland, has been appointed to serve on the Steering Committee on Higher Education, an advisory committee that will give recommendations to the newly established Council for Higher Education.
The council was created by legislation passed during the special session in May, replacing many of the functions of the Higher Education Coordinating Board, which is to be eliminated in 2012. The student financial aid functions previously directed by the board will be transferred to the newly created Office of Student Financial Assistance.
Haler was also appointed to the Legislative Task Force on the Baccalaureate Funding Formula and reappointed to the Early Learning Advisory Committee.
“I am pleased to accept these positions and will work hard to make education – from early learning to higher education – the priority that it needs to be in state government,” Haler said. “The current budget realities in Olympia require that we look at new and improved ways of doing things. We have an opportunity before us – and a responsibility – to take a closer look at our education goals and objectives. Being involved in several different aspects of education will help me have a broader understanding of the system as a whole and to relay that understanding to my colleagues in the Legislature.”
Haler also serves as the ranking Republican on the House Higher Education Committee.
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