Don’t undermine prosperity
Published 3:55 pm Tuesday, December 14, 2010
As legislators and the governor prepare in earnest to shrink and transform the state budget, they should keep this principle in mind: Minimize harm to investments that lead to economic growth. Think of it as insurance against the effects of the next downturn.
Funding for higher education, more than most budget decisions, will determine whether lawmakers lay an effective foundation for future growth and prosperity. More and better educated workers lead to more and better paying jobs. That, in turn, builds a stronger social safety net through more stable tax receipts.
Washington’s public colleges and universities, which don’t share the constitutional protections the K-12 system does, have recently taken deep cuts that, if not reversed soon, will do serious and lasting harm. State universities, community colleges and technical colleges have suffered cuts averaging more than 30 percent the past three years. During that time, according to the Higher Education Coordinating Board:
•Nearly 2,800 state funded enrollment slots have been eliminated.
•State funding for each full-time college student has been reduced 14 percent, taking state support for instruction below the 50 percent mark at most four-year institutions.
•In the face of rapidly increasing tuition, only 77 percent of enrolled students who are eligible for state financial aid are receiving assistance, compared with 98 percent in 2009. Shamefully, 22,000 students who qualify for a State Need Grant will not have received one this year.
Our state already is embarrassingly low in national rankings of four-year degree production. The HECB reports that while Washington ranks sixth nationally in the employment of people with recent bachelor’s degrees in science and engineering (per 10,000 workers), it is just 38th and 42nd in the production of bachelor’s and graduate degrees in those fields, respectively.
In other words, employers here are having to import workers from other states or other countries to fill jobs with some of the highest earning potential. In overall production of bachelor’s degrees for students through age 34, Washington ranks 37th nationally; 39th for advanced degrees.
Studies show that having a college degree dramatically reduces dependency on welfare. Those with higher levels of education volunteer at higher rates. People with a high school diploma or less wind up in jail at rates six to 10 times higher than college graduates.
As they enter the 2011-13 budget process, lawmakers should aim to keep higher ed funding at least at current levels, and to put it on an upward trajectory as the economy recovers. Failing to do so will tie an anchor to the state’s economic potential.
