Uncertainty in Olympia over the state budget won’t mean uncertainty for summer-quarter students at Shoreline Community College.
“We are committed to serving students this summer,” Acting President Daryl Campbell said on Thursday, June 13, 2013. “We don’t know what will happen in the Legislature, but we do know classes will go on this summer at Shoreline.”
Lawmakers are entering their second special session, still trying to pass a state budget. Facing a deadline of June 30, the end of the state’s fiscal year, Gov. Jay Inslee has asked his cabinet to look at how and what pieces of state government could be impacted if funding isn’t approved.
Community and technical colleges receive funding from three general sources: direct state allocation, student tuition and various grants and contracts. With repeated cuts over recent years, the state allocation is a shrinking percentage of college budgets. The specific percentage and potential budget implications are different for each college.
“We’re hopeful that our elected officials will reach an accord as soon as possible,” Campbell said. “We know that they understand the value of higher education and the key role that community and technical colleges play not only in the lives of our students, but the state’s overall economic recovery.”
The Shoreline Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet June 26. Campbell said staff members are preparing several budget options for possible adoption. “We hope the Legislature has finished their work by then,” Campbell said. “But even if they haven’t, we will provide the education and training our students expect and need.”