Washington State Cannot Afford More Cuts to Higher Education
As Washington State鈥檚 public colleges and universities face a quiet crisis created by a massive state divestment in higher education over the last few years, our long-term economic future as a state is being put in serious jeopardy. 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.
This downward slide needs to be stopped, and stopped quickly. As the state鈥檚 grim budget situation has eased somewhat due to the combination of a significantly reduced caseload forecast and a slightly improved revenue projection, the time has come for elected officials in Olympia to draw a line in the sand: no more cuts to higher education.