How do we solve the workforce shortage in our state?

Two years ago, give or take a couple of weeks, we wrote about the fact that in our state there are more job openings than qualified workers to fill those vacancies. The Washington Roundtable addresses that issue in its Great Jobs Within Our Reach report released yesterday. And the Seattle Times ran this editorial calling on the Legislature to fund more seats in high-demand fields.

According to the Roundtable's news release, Washington state could see 160,000 jobs by 2017 and $720 million in new state revenue if we take the necessary steps to fill the growing skills gap.

The report found that 25,000 jobs have been unfilled in our state for three months or more due to a lack of qualified candidates and eighty percent of these jobs are in high demand fields such as health care and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

The report warns that the gap will grow to 50,000 jobs by 2017 unless we fix this problem, in which case, due to the multiplying effect, the scenario in 2017 would be much brighter with an additional 110,000 jobs.

The necessary steps, according to the Roundtable, to fix the problem are just five:

1. Increase computer science, engineering and healthcare capacity at colleges and universities.

2. Foster STEM interest and performance among K-12 students.

3. Improve alignment of technical degree and certificate curricula with employer demands.

4. Promote and enable in-bound migration of skilled workers from other states.

5. Support expansion of international immigration opportunities.

Following some of the Roundtable's recommendations is easier said than done, though, especially when the state is so dramatically strapped for money to satisfy the growing demands in other areas like K-12, health care and human services. How do we get there? Think you have the solution? Try this Seattle Times balancing the budget interactive tool to see how you would do it.

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Higher Ed Live Chat with Rep. Larry Seaquist

Higher Ed Live Chat with Larry Seaquist

SAVE THE DATE – March 18, noon – 1 p.m. 

Rep. Larry Seaquist, chair of the House Higher Education Committee, would like to invite students, parents, faculty, administrators, and anyone else with an interest in higher education issues to a live chat on Monday, March 18 from noon to 1 p.m.

Seaquist will give an overview of where we are in the legislative process with higher ed and answer questions from chat participants.

Seaquist particularly wants to hear from students willing to share their stories about struggling with student debt, course availability, and other challenges they face while pursuing a degree or certificate.

Come back to the HDC Advance on Monday, March 18 at noon to be a part of the discussion.

You can also submit your email address below and we’ll send you a reminder when the event is about to start.

To help you remember about the live chat, you can submit your email address below. We’ll send you a reminder as the event approaches. 



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Education the focus on day one of the floor marathon

With the first round of committee work concluded, the House of Representatives approved a series of education bills on Monday. Improving schools to build a better future for children is the top priority for House Democrats. Here’s a sample of what was approved yesterday:

HB 1178 opens the opportunity door for more highly-motivated students to explore the teaching profession by giving colleges of education more tools to recruit and admit potential teachers. The bill aims to put more quality teachers in Washington classrooms.

HB 1251 expands membership of the Opportunity Scholarship Board from seven to nine. Members of the board are tasked with, among other duties, raising funds for student scholarship programs. HB 1251 will help the board raise more funds, which will provide opportunities for more students to achieve the dream of a college education.

HB 1336 aims to address the second-leading cause of teen deaths in this country – suicide. HB 1336 is designed to save lives by requiring certain school staff members to receive youth suicide training. It also requires school districts to adopt a plan to recognize, screen, and respond when students show signs of emotional or behavioral distress.

HB 1536 requires community college boards of trustees to include a member from business and a member from labor, a successful practice that is already in place with our technical colleges.

HB 1812 will give greater flexibility on spending grant funds to schools taking part in the Urban Schools Turnaround Initiative. The project is designed to accelerate student learning and close the achievement gap through research-based techniques in two Seattle schools.

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Pitching for our troops when they come back home

​It's been 35 years since Chico Escuela, Saturday Night Live's fictional baseball luminary portrayed so spot-on by Garrett Morris, first emphasized that "baseball has been berry, berry good to me." To paraphrase that timeless line, we think it's high time the nation was very, very good to its citizens in the Armed Forces, as well as our military veterans.

Legislation warming up in the bullpen here in the Washington State House of Representatives recently received an enthusiastic pitch from a pair of stalwart arms on the national scene.

First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, the vice president's wife, emphasized their support for the objectives contained in two legislative proposals that will soon be on the House floor. In their addresses the other day to a meeting of the National Governors Association, Obama and Biden both spoke of our duty to honor the rights and interests of citizens who have honored the call of duty to their country. Proposals contained in House Bill 1858 and House Bill 1859 emphasize this very goal.

 

Many military careers transition very well into a civilian job. If a veteran has stayed in the same career in his or her time in the service, he or she should get the benefit of the training and education received in the military. And when they're applying for civilian jobs after their service is up, they should certainly receive appropriate credit for their experience and military training.

 

"Support the Troops" has to be a lot more than just a bumper sticker.

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Where do those lottery dollars go, anyway?

Thirty years after the Washington State Lottery was created, there are still plenty of misconceptions on where the money goes.

In the 1970's, there were several attempts by the Legislature to create a state lottery that would have dedicated the revenues for education. A state lottery was finally authorized in 1982.

However, because the Legislature was dealing with a projected budget deficit that year, lawmakers elected to have lottery revenues go into the state's general fund. While education is the general fund's main expense, it's also used to pay for higher education, prisons, health care, and many other state services.

In 2000, voters approved a measure to direct lottery dollars specifically towards education. From 2004-09, lottery proceeds were used to renovate and remodel schools. In 2010, the Legislature re-directed lottery proceeds to the Opportunity Pathways Account, which supports access grants, work study awards, merit scholarships, and early learning programs.

Below is a chart that shows where lottery dollars went last year. Nearly 60% of the budget goes to pay prizes to the winners. After all, it wouldn't be much of a lottery if there isn't anything to win.

After prizes are paid out and other costs are accounted for, the lottery generates about $122 million for education. By comparison, state spending on K-12 and higher education is about $8 billion per year.

So, while lottery proceeds are an important part of education funding, they're only a small piece of the overall funding picture.

Washington Lottery Fun Facts:

• The Washington State Lottery sold its first ticket in 1982.
• Since then, it has paid almost $6.5 billion in prizes.
• In fiscal year 2012, over 28 million winning tickets were issued ranging from $1 to $11 million.

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Sequester on your street corner

Last week, Senator Patty Murray visited with House Democrats and discussed some of the effects of sequester - the looming automatic cuts to the federal budget that will be triggered if Congress fails to strike a budget deal by March 1st.

This week, the White House released more detailed information on what these automatic cuts would mean for Washington state.

Among the low-lights:

• Washington will lose approximately $11,606,000 in funding for primary and secondary education, putting around 160 teacher and aide jobs at risk. In addition about 11,000 fewer students would be served ad approximately 50 fewer schools would recieve funding.
• Washington will lose about $3,301,000 in environmental funding to ensure clean water and air quality...
• About 440 fewer low income students in Washington would recieve aid to help them finance the costs of college.
• In Washington, approximately 29,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would be furloughed, reducing gross pay by around $173.4 million in total.
• Washington will lose approximately $1,053,000 in funds that provides meals for seniors.

For the complete list of potential cuts, follow this link.

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Welcoming a wide variety of visitors to the 2013 Legislature

​Legislators are always happy to welcome visitors from neighborhoods and communities all across Washington. Private citizens, students and teachers, businesspeople, local-government and civic officials, specific-interest stakeholders -- you name it, folks from all over our Evergreen State come by every day to give Olympia a piece of their mind. And rightly so!

A young gentleman named Daniel Gronvold, for instance, dropped in recently for a very good conversation with State Rep. Jake Fey. Daniel is a client at Trillium Employment Services and talked with Rep. Fey about legislation being considered this year that involves the School-to-Work transition program. The legislative proposal, which is contained in Senate Bill 5706 and House Bill 1753, directs the state Superintendent of Public Instruction to set up some important interagency agreements involving the Department of Social and Health Services, the Department of Services for the Blind, and other state agencies whose mission embraces transition services for high-school students with disabilities.

Trillium, according to their website, helps businesses recruit, train and retain employees with disabilities, and currently serves King, Kitsap, Pierce and Clark Counties.

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DREAM Act passes committee, heads to vote in full House of Reps

The DREAM Act (House Bill 1817) passed the Higher Education Committee yesterday on a 14-4 vote.

The bipartisan bill – authored by Rep. Zack Hudgins (D-Tukwila) and Rep. Bruce Chandler (R-Granger) – brought a full house of students and citizens on the day of its public hearing, with 110 people signed in to testify in favor of the reform and zero people signed up to testify against it.

Here's the video of Hudgins and Chandler testifying together and, below that, highlights of their remarks.

Parts of Rep. Bruce Chandler's testimony:

"I just want to say that, first of all, these are kids that have grown up in our communities, that have grown up in mine, have gone through our school system."

"I absolutely believe that every student who graduates from a Washington high school should be given the same opportunity."

Parts of Rep. Hudgins' testimony:

"As a kid, you just get uprooted with your parents, you don't have a lot of say in it. We're talking about kids who've chosen to go to college … who've worked hard."

"This really isn't a big deal. … We are simply leveling the playing field. These kids are on a path to citizenship. This is a small incremental step from a policy standpoint."

"For the students this affects, this is a big deal. … It makes college possible."

"I don't think you should underestimate that Rep. Chandler and I are sitting here together. This is not a partisan issue. It's a policy about our economic future. If we want to continue to sell apples and airplanes and software to the world, we need the best talent. It's good for the kids in Washington state … and good for our economic future. These are the kids who'll sell Washington to the world."

And here's Ben Crowther with the Washington Student Association, speaking on behalf of more than 120,000 college students in the state, during the public hearing on the bill:

Related post:

A Dreamer named Francisco tells his story

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A Dreamer named Francisco tells his story

Francisco Rodriguez told a tough story with a smile and charm.

He came to Olympia yesterday to testify in favor of The Dream Act (House Bill 1817), by Rep. Zack Hudgins, D-Tukwila and co-sponsored by Rep. Bruce Chandler, R-Granger.

The legislation is aimed at making college more affordable for undocumented students like Francisco, who's studying computer science at Eastern Washington University.

Francisco graduated from Sunnyside High School with a 3.7 GPA and struggled to pay for college.

"When I first started college," he told lawmakers on the committee, "I only had $3,000 in my pocket."

That money quickly ran out during his second quarter of studies at Eastern.

So he went back home to Sunnyside to pick cherries. His father also worked long hours picking in the fields, all to save up enough money to send Francisco back to college.

"I slept on couches," Francisco said. He got food from friends.

Then he got a $10,000 scholarship from Google, and another scholarship from Microsoft, and he hopes to intern at one of those companies.

The Dream Act, he told lawmakers, would help students like himself get the opportunity to finish school. The legislation would make undocumented students eligible for the state need grant, just like other college students in the state who can't afford to pay tuition out of pocket.

Francisco wasn't alone. The hearing room in Olympia was packed with supporters of the bill, with 110 people signed up to testify in favor of the bipartisan bill and zero signed up to testify against it.

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It's National Guard Day at the state capitol today

Each year, the legislature honors the men and women of our state's National Guard with a resolution in both the House and Senate.  Today is that day, and members of our Guard can be spotted around the capitol campus in uniform today.

The newly-reappointed Adjutant General of the Washington State National Guard, Major General Bret Daugherty, is also on campus, and paid a visit to the House Democratic Caucus this morning.

Maj. Gen. Daugherty took over the position last summer from Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, who retired after serving for 13 years as our state's adjutant general.

While National Guard Day is a special celebration each year in the legislature, House Democrats are also striving to make sure that every day our state's servicemen and women have opportunities to succeed in education and in the transition to civilian life and employment.  Several higher education-related proposals are working their way through the House, including House Bill 1428, sponsored by Rep. Dave Upthegrove.

Maj. Gen. Bret Daugherty

This bill would dedicate a portion of state lottery money to the Veterans Innovations Program (VIP), which was created by the legislature in 2006 to provide flexible small grants to individual veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. The program struggles every year for funding and is set to expire in a few years.

Additionally, there are many veterans in our state who are trying to complete their education amid ever-rising tuition costs.  The federal G.I. bill provides educational benefits, but those benefits are based on the time of service a veteran has honorably completed.  This leaves out veterans who have also served honorably, but for less than the time required for full educational funding.

Under Rep. Upthegrove's proposal, the VIP would become permanent, have a steady source of funding, and a portion of those funds would be dedicated to help veterans attending community college.

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Washington Leads the Way in Peace Corps Volunteerism

From the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962 to current work of groups like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Washington has always had a strong tradition of volunteerism, generousity and mindfullness towards what is happening across the globe.

New figures from the 2013 Peace Corps volunteer class, however, demonstrate just how deeply that commitment to helping others runs.

Every year the Peace Corps tracks volunteer recruitment in three categories: large schools, medium schools, and small schools. This year, Washington universities lead the way in all three categories. The University of Washington tied for first place among large schools with the University of Florida, while Western Washington University and Gonzaga University swept the medium- and small-sized categories, respectively.

The University of Washington has held the top honor before, in both 2007 and 2010. Another Washington institution, Seattle University, took the fifth spot in the small category this year.

Although important in their own right, these numbers also underscore the strength of Washington’s higher education system and the importance of ensuring that our colleges and universities remain affordability for all students. House Democrats are committed to working towards a fully funded post-secondary education system, so that our students can continue to go on to great things in our state and around the globe. 

Via the Peace Corps website, here is the full list of top volunteer colleges:

Read this story in Spanish.
 

 

Lawmakers tackle student debt

​On Tuesday, January 29^th the House Higher Education committee, chaired by Representative Larry Seaquist (D-Gig Harbor), held a discussion and work session on higher education financial aid and student debt in the state of Washington.

In 2010, student debt made headlines for surpassing the debt on credit cards in the United States. More recently, it was revealed that the proportion of student loan balances that are in delinquency (unpaid for 90 days or more) surpassed that of credit-card balances for the first time.

As Rachel Sharp, Director of Student Financial Assistance with the Washington Student Achievement Council, made clear when she was presenting to the committee, Washington does a much better job at controlling student debt than the national average. State financial aid programs – such as the State Need Grant, State Work Study, and College Bound Scholarship – have done a good job of helping mitigate recent tuition increases.

Rep. Larry Seaquist

Members of the Higher Education Committee agreed that the growth in student debt is cause for concern, however, and that more needs to be done to improve higher education affordability and educate students about taking on debt. Their work session on Tuesday provided important information and a framework for moving forward as the legislative session progresses.

Here are some of the key facts that were presented to the committee:

• Annual borrowing is increasing at public four year institutions, private four year institutions, and community and technical colleges
• Private loans have actually decreased in recent years, despite overall borrowing going up
• 56 percent of students graduate from four year institutions with debt
• Despite this, Washington still ranks 39^th in debt load after graduation, meaning our students have less debt than 38 other states
• 1.7 billion in financial aid is provided annual to resident undergraduate students attending four year, community, and technical colleges

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Easing the transition for our troops, veterans, and their families

​They put their civilian life on hold, standing ready if need be to put their very lives on the line.

So back here on the home front, military men and women have a right to fair and functional opportunities in transitioning to peacetime.
The very timely issue of “counting military training for college credit and professional-licensing requirements” was discussed in a meeting of the House Community Development, Housing & Tribal Affairs Committee, chaired by state Rep. John McCoy, earlier this week. McCoy is sponsoring a measure in the 2013 legislative session to strengthen protections for the parental rights of deployed military dads and moms. He said that our state's "policies and procedures should provide assistance for military men and women in their transition to safe, high-quality civilian lives and careers."

House Democrats two years ago championed successful legislation to make sure that military training and experience counts toward licensing-requirements in a wide array of professions. The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs provides a great deal of employment assistance. Likewise, the U.S. Department of Defense and the commander in chief is also emphasizing employment-programs for veterans.

So far this year, a pair of other proposals to help support our servicemen and women are working their way through the legislative process. One bill would send financial help to veterans and active members of the military who are pursuing a higher education. A second bill would direct targeted colleges and universities to set up early-course registration for veterans and National Guard members. Both bills are in the House Higher Education Committee: HB 1011 is set for a vote in the 8 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 29, committee meeting, and HB 1109 is set for a vote in the 10 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 31, committee meeting.

Read this story in Spanish here.

School without walls, fixed schedules or group pacing gets top ranking

Have you seen TV ads of an online school that uses people as billboards? Some of them are kind of geeky, but its enrollment in our state has quadrupled in 18 months. So, geeky or not, they're getting the word out: Western Governors University offers affordable online bachelor's and master's degrees to working adults.

There are still some skeptics out there who don't believe in getting a degree online; they may just change their minds with last week's news that the Kirkland-based SR Education Group, which rates online colleges and universities, said Western Governors University is the nation's top-performing online school.

SR Education Group, started by a former Microsoft executive, created the ranking of online higher-education institutions using a combination of measures such as reputation among alumni, affordability, and graduation and retention rates.
WGU was founded in 1997 by the governors of 19 Western states. In 2011, led by former Seattle Representative Phyllis Gutiérrez Kenney, and Reps. Larry Seaquist and Eric Pettigrew, the Legislature passed a bill to create a partnership between Washington and WGU that:

• Meets a key state need for affordable education in high-demand fields.
• Opens a wide window of opportunities for full-time workers, dislocated workers and other underserved adult learners who would otherwise not have a chance to get a degree.
• Offers the best of nontraditional opportunities — high quality, affordability, and flexibility.

All at absolutely no cost to Washington taxpayers.

A 2009 survey of employers in states that already had WGUs and who have hired WGU grads found that:

• 98 percent of employers rated employees with degrees from WGU as "excellent" or "good."
• 90 percent of employers consider WGU grads' preparation for the workforce either "good" or "excellent."
• 91 percent said they would be willing to hire additional WGU graduates.
• 81 percent of employers said they would recommend hiring WGU graduates to their associates.
• 79 percent of employers indicated that they noted a higher level of individual learning ability in WGU graduates.
• 82 percent rated WGU graduates higher than other employees in terms of self-motivation and direction.

Check out the Online College Rankings Report.
Read the story in the Seattle Times.
Visit the WGU Washington website.

Read this story in Spanish here.

Specialty plates bringing in the bucks

Bill signing for House Bill 1329, 5/3/2011

Back in 2011, Representative Marcie Maxwell partnered with Music Aid Northwest to support Washington students. Maxwell introduced House Bill 1329 to create and sell “Music Matters” specialty license plates to benefit music education programs in our schools. Upon introduction of the bill, Maxwell noted that “We must acknowledge the essential value of music education and continue to promote a well-rounded curriculum for all Washington students”.

Earlier this week, the Everett Herald reported that specialty license plates like “Music Matters” are creating somewhat of a windfall for nonprofit organizations and state agencies. In fact, about $1.9 million was collected from July 2010 to December 2011 according to a report from the Department of Licensing. These dollars go to support a variety of causes aside from music education, including wildlife protection, trail maintenance, and support for law enforcement officers, soldiers, and professional firefighters.

The Herald also reports on the importance of these specialty plates for students at our state's public universities.

But the report only tells part of the story because it does not include plates issued before the law took effect. Among those are the most popular specialty plates on the road -- those for the state's six public four-year universities. Those plates have been generating money for scholarship funds since the mid-'90s.

For some it's a big deal.

Take Washington State University. There were 3,454 WSU plates sold and 18,199 renewed between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012, according to Department of Licensing records. That alone brought in more than $500,000 for scholarships.

These figures are just another example of how the state can partner with non-profits entities with successful results. Plus, Washington drivers get to support their favorite causes without cluttering their bumpers- not that we have anything against an impressive display of bumper stickers. You can read the entire piece on specialty license plates over at the Everett Herald’s website. The report prepared by the Department of Licensing will be delivered to lawmakers next week, just in time for the 2013 legislative session.

21st century careers emphasized in scholarships

New-century industries are clamoring like nobody's business for more graduates in the myriad fields of health care and high technology.  Washington has its work cut out in vying with other states and nations for economic growth and development in these growing - and growing and growing - arenas. So it's good news whenever word comes of stronger financial assistance for college and university students majoring either in some sort of health-care discipline, or in one of the realms of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Created a few years ago, the Washington Opportunity Scholarship program is helping these men and women who want someday to nail down one of these high-demand, big-paying careers. An item in recent Seattle Times report says that in the 2012-2013 school year, "… nearly 1,900 Washington students will get (one of these) $5,000 scholarships to pursue" STEM or health-care degrees. In fact, that amount represents five times the amount of scholarship dollars that selected college and university students have been receiving in these scholarships.

State Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, is singled out in the Times article. Hunter calls this more robust scholarship "terrific," and he goes on to say that, "the IQ of kids isn't determined by their family income - if they can imagine they can go to college, they've got more motivation." 

The scholarship is open to Washington college juniors, seniors and fifth-year students who live here in the Evergreen State, maintain at least a 2.75 GPA, and have a family-income no more than 125 percent of the median-family-income level (no more than $102,200 for a family of four). Interested citizens must send in the Federal Application for Free Student Aid. The newspaper article points out that the "application for new awards will be available on Monday, Jan. 7, and the deadline is Monday, Feb. 18. Students who currently receive the scholarship must renew by July 15." 

You can see from the maximum-income level for applicants that the Washington Opportunity Scholarships are aimed to a great and specific extent at helping students in middle-income families - folks who don't have all the money in the world but who may not qualify for financial-aid programs. These are the students who increasingly are being left with no choice but to plunge into devastating debt to pay soaring tuition tabs. 

A renewable scholarship, this financial assistance can be used for up to five years of college. Further, the Times article states that, "Most of the scholarship money comes from Microsoft and Boeing, which together have contributed $50 million. The state has contributed $5 million." 

House Democrats in the legislative session earlier this year championed additional strategies for increasing access to higher education. Senate Bill 5982 creates the Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation to pursue industry-university research. The objective is creation of a stronger connection between the world's aerospace industry and our state's colleges and universities. Senate Bill 6141 emphasizes support for the continuing education and training of employees. Workers and employers can voluntarily create joint savings accounts to advance their pursuit of 21st century careers. 

When the 2013 legislative session starts in January, expect House Democrats to invest more of this same STEM and health-care educational emphasis on the education and training of students for jobs in these strong, up-and-coming industries.

Matching skilled workers with aerospace employers

This started in 1916 with one small-aircraft business and has now grown to 740 companies, which currently employ 96,900 workers.

"What is the aerospace industry in Washington state?" is correct!

With almost 100 years of experience manufacturing and assembling the best planes on Earth, it is no wonder Washington is the aerospace capital of the United States.

As of 2011, all commercial aircraft over 100 seats built in the United States are assembled and delivered right here. Yes, even with Boeing's new plant in South Carolina, 90 percent of the company's production is in Washington.

But it's not easy being the best and the largest in the field; it takes lots of highly skilled workers to get the job done well and maintain our outstanding reputation. That's where it gets tricky because thousands of aerospace workers will be retiring in the next few years. Meanwhile, production will continue increasing, which means the demand for a qualified workforce will also be higher.

The Center of Excellence for Aerospace and Advanced Materials Manufacturing, a one-stop resource hub for the industry's education and training needs, created this nifty online tool that will make it easier for aerospace companies to find skilled workers.

The website lists graduates from 18 of Washington state's community colleges, in nine aerospace-related fields, so employers can search for graduates with specific skill sets.

There is plenty of work ahead to satisfy the industry's demand, but Washington is on it. In recent years, we have taken important steps to create and expand aerospace and manufacturing training programs. In fact, just a year ago, during the December special session, the Legislature passed three measures to shore up our aerospace industry.

Want to learn more? Back in April, Mary Kaye Bredeson, director of Everett Community College's Center of Excellence for Aerospace and Advanced Materials Manufacturing, wrote this op-ed on how community colleges are helping aerospace soar.

To read this story in Spanish, please click here.

Helping make dreams come true

From Point Roberts Dollars for Scholars to the Colton Education Foundation in Whitman County, business and community leaders across Washington have long supported Dollars for Scholars scholarships to help talented students pursue their college dreams.

Rep. Cindy Ryu knows how much Dollars for Scholars can mean to deserving students.  In addition to representing the 32nd District in the people’s House, Cindy is a past President and current board member of both the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce and Shoreline Dollars for Scholars. She recently joined other leaders of the Shoreline Chamber and Dollars for Scholars to award 11 new scholarships during a celebration at Shoreline Community College.

The Shoreline Dollars for Scholars program has awarded scholarships to more than 160 students over the past 9 years. That’s a lot of dreams come true!

To read this story in Spanish, please click here.

It’s broke, and we need to fix it

Photo credit:  University of Washington

They aren’t the first ones to say so, but the University of  Washington Board of Regents spelled it out about as clearly as could be earlier this month in what it called a “Declaration of Concern for the Sustainability of Washington Public Higher Education.” The state’s system for financing public colleges and universities is not working, and it needs to be repaired, big time.

The Regents, who are the governing board of the university, do say they are grateful that the 2012 state supplement operating budget that was passed by the Legislature in April did not make any cuts to higher education. That’s due mainly to the efforts of House Democrats:  In the contentious negotiations that produced a budget, they blocked a Republican effort to once again slash aid to public universities.

But that holding of the line came after years of cuts – and, the regents said, those cuts have “radically and unduly shifted the burden of financing the higher education system to students.”

That’s because the schools have had to raise tuition dramatically to make up for the drop-off  in state support.

“Under the current fiscal trajectory,” the regents said,“something has to give, and it should not be the quality of the University’s faculty and staff, its offerings to students, or its contributions to the discovery of knowledge.”

To read this story in Spanish, click here.