Pennsylvania State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement Updates

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) PA State Portal Entity Lynette Kuhn, Division Chief Gina Wetten, Higher Education Associate II Thursday, November 16, 2023 1

SARA - Commonwealth of PA Today will include an overview of updates: Introduction to PA SARA Pennsylvania Annual Fees NC-SARA Annual and Late Fees 2

SARA - PA State Portal Entity - Brief History Act 35 of 2016 was passed by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Tom Wolf on June 1, 2016 The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) joined SARA in Fall 2016 and was designated by Act 35 as the SARA State Portal Entity In order to be a State participating in SARA, the state must belong to or be affiliated with a regional compact Pennsylvania is affiliated with the Southern Regional Educational Board (SREB) 3

SARA - PA State Portal Entity - Brief History (continued) In 2016, 50 institutions applied and were approved to participate in SARA As of today, there are 121 institutions within PA that participate in SARA PA, as the State Portal Entity must also continue to reapply to be a participating state of the program PA continues to meet the necessary standards for being the State Portal Entity and was renewed on October 19, 2022 4

SARA - Annual Institutional Fees: PA Fee Resumed Pennsylvania Fees Have Resumed: - Original regulation fees sunset in 2018 - Reduced fee schedule resumed with the 2023-24 renewal Distance Tuition Revenue FeeProposed New Fee $0-9,999 $1,000 $10,000-4,999,999 $2,000 $5,000,000-19,999,999 $3,000 $20,000,000-39,999,999 $5,000 $40,000,000 and over $7,000 5

SARA - Annual Institutional Fees: PA Fee Resumed Pennsylvania Fees must be paid prior to submission of renewal documents New or renewing Institutions must pay the fee PA Fee is based on tuition revenue from distance education in the most recently completed calendar year. Institutions must submit documentation demonstrating this revenue amount (i.e.: audited financial statements, ledgers, spreadsheets, etc.). 6

SARA - Annual Institutional Fees: PA Fee Instructions 7

SARA - Annual Institutional Fees: NC-SARA Fee National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement s Fee (NC-SARA) After renewal forms and documents have been received and processed by PDE, institutions must pay the NC-SARA fee annually: o Institutions will receive an email from NC-SARA o Institutions must pay the fee before the institution s individual renewal due date 8

SARA Additional Reminders New Institutions should view the SARA Institution Welcome KIT Institutions must renew annually Ensure Links listed within the NC-SARA Application work and that all requirements are in place or met (catastrophic plan, agreement for professional licensure disclosure, etc.) 9

SARA - PA Contacts SARA related questions should be emailed to the PA State Portal entity contact. Pennsylvania SARA Contacts Gina Wetten, Higher Education Associate II, PDE giwetten@pa.gov (Primary PA State Portal Entity SARA Contact) Michele Simmons, Administrative Assistant, PDE michellsim@pa.gov (Updates to SARA Contact, PA Fee Payment, and/or Complaint Link) Lynette Kuhn, Division Chief, PDE Lykuhn@pa.gov (Division of Higher Education, Access, and Equity) 10

SARA - Websites Websites: PA SARA Website: State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement PA NC-SARA Website: https://www.nc-sara.org/ (NC-SARA Manual 22.1, 6-27-2022) 11

SARA - Questions and Thank You! Thank You! The mission of the Pennsylvania Department of Education is to ensure that every learner has access to a world-class education system that academically prepares children and adults to succeed as productive citizens. Further, the Department seeks to establish a culture that is committed to improving opportunities throughout the commonwealth by ensuring that technical support, resources, and optimal learning environments are available for all students, whether children or adults. 12