Lawmakers split on university bill

OLYMPIA – State Sen. Jean Berkey of Everett wants the Legislature to endorse a new four-year college in Snohomish County or the surrounding region.

Some of her colleagues from the county think it’s too soon to ask and believe doing so could damage the long-term prospects of getting a college built.

Berkey, a Democrat, introduced legislation late Monday to put the Legislature squarely behind the expedited creation of an independent four-year polytechnic university. The bill contains no other option such as a branch campus of the University of Washington.

“That is the intent. I’ve been expressing my support for a four-year stand-alone right from the beginning,” Berkey said.

State Sens. Paull Shin, D-Edmonds, Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, and Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, all signed on as co-sponsors of Senate Bill 5322.

Haugen said this will “send a message to our higher education community that we are serious” in wanting a four-year university for students in Snohomish, Island and Skagit counties.

Ignoring alternatives may harm rather than help the effort, said Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, an advocate of the branch campus model.

He said affiliating with the UW or partnering with an area community college can boost higher-education opportunities faster than waiting for a completely new college.

And it’s more politically and financially feasible, he said.

Leaders of existing community colleges and four-year schools may rise up to oppose Berkey’s bill if they perceive it as siphoning money from them, he said. That could cost support among legislators in whose districts those schools sit, he said.

“This bill isn’t needed. It muddies the conversation. The risk is people now will just dismiss our needs because we’re overreaching what is possible,” he said.

Rep. Mike Sells, D-Everett, cautioned the well-intended bill could backfire.

“We want to be sure we’re not doing anything that throws up roadblocks,” he said.

Expanding higher education opportunities is a top priority this legislative session for many of the 21 legislators representing Snohomish County.

On Thursday, a House of Representatives committee will hold a hearing on the subject. It will center on a state study done last year that concluded the three counties are underserved in higher education and the problem will worsen as population grows.

Gov. Chris Gregoire responded to that study by including $2 million in her proposed construction budget for an analysis to determine the type of and location for a regional university.

Berkey said her bill “adds a little definition” to the governor’s budget proviso.

It states the new college should offer degrees in applied science, engineering and applied computer science. It calls for the study to figure how much land is needed and how to buy it. It also directs the search to focus on Everett, Marysville and north Snohomish County properties.

An outside consultant would do the work, under the bill.

“No one has suggested to me – except apparently for what Mr. Dunshee said in conversation with you – that this is a step in the wrong direction. We think it is a step forward,” she said.

The Senate Higher Education Committee could hold a hearing on the bill as early as next week.

“We are trying to look for the best option,” said Shin, the panel’s chairman, who pushed for the outside consultant to do the work to defuse turf battles.

Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson backs the bill.

“It absolutely reinforces and supports what the governor has in her budget and it doesn’t give us heartburn,” Stephanson said Tuesday.

Sells said the House of Representatives will likely address the issue only through the governor’s budget request.

“It’s a much cleaner process,” Sells said.

Things could change.

“This bill will take all the twists and turns any piece of legislation would take down here,” he said.

Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.