BBCC President pushes for education legislation in Olympia

MOSES LAKE — Big Bend Community College President Sara Thompson Tweedy spent a week in Olympia, meeting with legislators and other college presidents to expand access to education and promote funding to attract and retain educators.

“The thing I can say about our (local) legislators is that they absolutely understand the importance of Big Bend to our community,” Thompson Tweedy said.

On Jan. 24 the BBCC Board of Trustees met with Reps. Bruce Chandler, R-Granger; Bryan Sandlin, R-Zillah; Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy; Joe Schmick, R-Colfax; Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake; and Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, as well as Sens. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville; Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, and Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake.

Thompson Tweedy met with the legislators to ask them to support efforts to expand access to postsecondary credentials for students through bills like House Bills 1013 and 1003.

HB 1013 establishes regional apprenticeship programs to help coordinate the state's educational offerings with local resources, work-integrated learning opportunities, and future career possibilities.

The substitute bill passed the House Committee on Education and had a public hearing in the Appropriations Committee on Feb. 8.

HB 1003 expands access to dual credit programs by subsidizing all dual credit costs and fees of enrollment in high school for students whose family incomes would make them eligible for state financial aid in college and giving eligible students who complete their first year of college $1,000 each. It was referred to the Appropriations Committee after the substitute bill passed on Feb. 7.

Thompson Tweedy said Big Bend has been focusing on efforts to remove barriers to education; especially for prospective students who live in smaller, rural cities on the borders of its service districts, including Quincy, Mattawa and Othello.

“We want to create equity and access to a post secondary credential regardless of where a student lives in the service area,” said Thompson Tweedy. “And one of the ways we are trying to do that is through College in the High School.”

College in the High School is another way to describe dual-credit programs like Running Start where high school students can also take college classes toward a college degree.

Another area that Thompson Tweedy is supporting is an operating budget request by the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

The legislature can provide funding for cost of living increases and or compensation increases but oftentimes they will fund those increases at a certain percentage of the cost, leaving the rest for the institution to come up with. Thompson Tweedy said the board is requesting the legislature fund 100% of the cost.

“We are requesting that any and all increases be fully funded so colleges are not forced to cut instructional programs and student services to pay for the funding gap,” the 2023-25 operating budget request by the WSBCTC stated.

Compounded with a worker shortage and challenges left by COVID-19, Thompson Tweedy said postsecondary institutions are seeing many educators leave to take higher-paying jobs in K-12.

“Not only are we asking the legislature to fully fund it, but we’re also asking that our salaries be competitive with K-12,” she said.

Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com.