A pattern of disinvestment & the 2012 session

As system in crisis, a pattern of disinvestment

Washington State’s higher education system is facing a sustained period of funding crisis as once again state revenues are falling short and a round of 5-10% cuts loom.  Still reeling from a legislative session that left public higher education grappling with a $142 million shortfall --despite stop gap efforts that included raising tuition--the system is once again in trouble.

Our higher education system has been drastically cut over the past four years--including cuts to our four-year schools by nearly 50%. That's more than anywhere else in the budget.

Our public colleges and universities have seen a continuous decline in funding over the last two decades.  This path of state disinvestment is compromising access, raising class sizes, reducing course offerings, and creating serious hardships across Washington State for students and their families, particularly those of more modest means.  In order to compete at a global level, we must stop selling the Washington workforce short, and start prioritizing the economic future of our state by giving our children the access to education that they need for a successful future. Our schools face $160 million in another round of cuts during the 2011 special session.  Work Study is also proposed to be eliminated and there are conerns about deep cuts to the State Need Grant.

Keeping the promise, saving higher education

The College Promise Coalition formed in 2011 to address this pattern of disinvestment in the face of drastic proposed state budget cuts--nearly 50% to four-year schools since 2007and similar devastating cuts to community and technical colleges--during the 2011 legislative session. The unprecedented coalition of public and private colleges and universities, students groups, parents, faculty, alumni, education advocates and leaders in business and labor came together to raise awareness among legislators and urge them to make higher education a top priority in Washington State.  

Overall, the efforts of CPC members meant that legislators heard about higher education from a variety of stakeholders in an unprecedented fashion.  They received thousands of emails and calls and received hundreds of personal visits from advocates asking them to prioritize higher education.  In addition, the media saw higher education as defining issue during the 2012 session.  By presenting a unified message this year, higher education advocates also positioned themselves as a growing voice in Olympia.

The 2012 crisis

While the Coalition is thankful that the Washington State legislature heard their issues and for the first time stood with advocates and fought for higher education, the struggle is far from over:

• In 2011 state funding for public baccalaureates was cut by $417 million.  Even after raising tuition by 11-20% depending on the institution, the system still faced a $142 million cut in funding for the 2011-2013 biennium.
• The 2011-2013 state budget cut funding for community and technical colleges by 22 percent, from $750 million in the 2009-2011 budget to $585 million in the 2011-2013 budget.  Although tuition increases backfilled a portion of the cuts, the system faces a net loss of $188 in state funding under the existing budget
• While Governor Gregoire’s  supplemental budget proposal demonstrates that she understands the critical importance of higher education to our state’s long-term economic success, CPC and higher ed advocates remain concerned about future cuts.
  
• Earlier shortfalls have already meant drastic changes for the state’s public higher education institutions including cutting entire degrees, students that can’t get into classes they need for graduation, reduced library and study assistance hours, less personal attention.
• The threat is especially dangerous for middle class families who in addition to seeing tuition rise and access diminish due to the statewide cuts, are also facing potential drastic cuts to student aid programs at the Federal level.

We must keep our promise to our kids

The evidence is clear that a college education is a critical component of lifetime success and a well educated workforce is the key to prosperity in the 21st century -- we simply can’t afford to fall further and further behind our competitors or break our shared promise to the next generation that we will provide them the education and training they need to succeed in life.   We understand that the legislators in Olympia face difficult choices, but that does not mean they should continue to make the wrong choices when it comes to higher education.

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