Don't forget about higher ed
Much more money will be spent on Washington's K-12 system in the next biennium. Our state Legislature should not take it from colleges and universities.
In its McCleary decision, the Washington State Supreme Court ordered legislators to honor the state's obligation to fund K-12 education, and this September found the state in contempt for failing to meet its deadline for a detailed school funding plan.
Combined with recent voter approval of Initiative 1351 - which limits K-12 class sizes - the mandates require $10 billion in additional K-12 funding (a 33-percent increase) in the next four years.
Where will the Legislature find the money? The outcome will influence everything from tuition and course offerings to college campus construction projects.
The past practice of using college and university budgets to pay for other needs would undermine economic development. In today's economy a high school diploma is a starting point, not a finish line. Our state's economy and employers depend on residents gaining post-secondary skills and knowledge.
Locally, Big Bend Community College provides access to quality higher education opportunities. In 2014, 37 percent of BBCC graduates trained for in-demand jobs with local industries, while 63 percent planned to transfer to a four-year university. Access to higher education is the only way many of our residents can enter directly into high-demand jobs or transfer to a university at an affordable cost.
There is much at stake for BBCC and the communities it serves in the next legislative session. BBCC is at the top of the two-year college system's capital funding list for a 76,000-square-foot Professional Technical Education Center. That center will help meet the needs of a robust manufacturing sector with programs in composites, industrial electricity, industrial systems, maintenance mechanics, welding, commercial driver's license, aviation maintenance, business information management, and computer science.
More than two-thirds of today's jobs require credentials after high school. Asking higher education to take more cuts suggests that high school is sufficient in the 21st Century to satisfy the court's definition of education as "the basic knowledge and skills needed to compete in today's economy and meaningfully participate in this state's democracy."
During the recession, state funding for higher education was slashed. When adjusted for inflation, current state spending for community and technical colleges is 23 percent less than it was in 2009. College students shouldered much of the burden in the form of tuition increases, fewer class offerings, and more student loans.
College and university budgets are not protected by our state's constitution as is K-12 funding. Unfortunately, our lawmakers' inability to provide adequate funding appears to pit K-12 against higher education.
The situation the state is in didn't happen overnight. The Great Recession deeply impacted government spending.
Taxable retail sales in Washington state declined by 10.4 percent in 2008 and dropped another 6 percent the following year, according to a report by the state Office of Financial Management. Our state relies on tax funding to fund the budget and lost $12.6 billion in taxes.
This loss meant the state Legislature now supports tuition at 65 percent, with parents and students paying 35 percent because of the revenue shortfall, according to information provided by the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.
Somehow the state needs to make higher ed funding a priority.
Budget cuts to higher education amount to opportunities lost for Washington residents. The strength of our economy and the opportunities employers offer are tied to the education of our residents.
Lawmakers should not throw public higher education under the bus to meet its duty to finance K-12 education. The state's next budget must maintain funding for students at all levels.
With a difficult Legislative session expected, we welcome ideas on meeting this goal.
- Editorial Board