As Washington state Democrats and Republicans gear up to turn in their budgets for the next fiscal year, this editorial board pleads with them to address higher education needs.
Washington cut 14.5 percent of higher education funding between the 2010-11 and 2011-12 fiscal years, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
The state’s Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released the new projected state budget on Thursday, revealing that the state’s budget shortfall is down to $500 million. Prior to Thursday, the Legislature was expecting about a $900 million shortfall, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
The economy is recovering – slowly, but surely – and it is time that higher education receives the funding it needs to produce well-qualified graduates who are capable of competing in a global economy.
The state will need to increase the capacity of the higher education system to produce more trained workers in all education levels, according to a joint report by the Higher Education Coordinating Board, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board.
The report shows about two-thirds of job openings in Washington between 2014 and 2019 will require at least one year of postsecondary education. In 2010 about 34,000 people with mid-level education or an associate’s degree entered the workforce. Increased demand in the job market means Washington universities will need to produce 9,000 more students with that level of education each year from 2014 to 2019, according to the report.
This editorial board asks the Western community to speak up about the importance of directing funding to higher education.
Knowledge is power. Nothing should be more important than educating our future workforce.
The budget of a community reflects its values. It is time Washington state legislators put their money where their mouth is and follow through on funding higher education.
There is still a budget shortfall of $500 million. Where this money will come from is up to the legislators in Olympia who will soon turn in their proposals.
Let’s not allow that money to come from cuts to higher education funding. Eliminating funding to state universities is shortsighted; a quick fix decision that does not address the long-term needs of Washington state citizens.
The last budget proposal caused Western’s projected operating budget to be mostly funded through tuition. It projected that students would pay 69 percent of the university’s operating budget by the 2012-13 school year.
Forcing students at public universities to pay the majority of costs for the school is irresponsible and unacceptable.
Cuts to financial aid and increases in tuition are a burden on the middle class. Only those who need financial aid the most and those who can afford the full cost of tuition have access to public universities.
We ask legislators to understand the long-term impacts of continuing to cut higher education before they slash the budget.
We ask the members of the Western community to speak up against cuts to higher education.
Don’t force future generations to face the same hardships finding an affordable and quality university that we did.
The editorial board is composed of Editor-in-Chief Paige Collins, Managing Editor Marissa Abruzzini and Opinion Editor Sarah Aitchison.
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