OLYMPIA – Thursday, Rep. Joe Timmons (D-Bellingham) introduced a budget request to fix a historical disparity among Washington’s colleges. For much of the past three decades, the state’s third largest higher education institution, Western Washington University (WWU), has received the least amount of funding from the state on a per student basis of all state colleges and universities.
“Despite being number three in student enrollment behind the University of Washington and Washington State University, Western’s students are bearing a greater cost for their education than students at other schools,” said Timmons. “This is something we can fix, and we should.”
With less than half of Washington’s graduating high school seniors pursuing college, the state faces a postsecondary educational attainment crisis, which impacts the state’s ability to fulfill jobs in the workforce. As more and more jobs require degrees and credentials, it is imperative that Washingtonians pursue higher education so the state’s economy can thrive.
Timmons is requesting a recalculation of funding to ensure parity among state colleges beginning in the 2029-31 biennium. This would result in $21.4 million, in fiscal year ’23 dollars, in additional state funding for WWU. This funding would bring WWU up to par with the second-least funded institution, currently Central Washington University which receives about $900 more per student than Western.
“This is a tough ask to make while looking at the budget challenges we are facing as a state,” said Timmons. “But Washington’s students deserve access to affordable and quality higher education, and that’s how dire Western’s situation is.”
Due to the institution’s budget shortfall, WWU has already been forced to remove some degree concentrations and pathways, and lay off dozens of staff.
“Serving nearly 15,000 students, Western Washington University is a vital institution in Whatcom County and a leader in our state in terms of student outcomes such as graduation rates,” said Timmons. “It is crucial that we support Western’s ability to provide higher education, job training, and career opportunities. This is critical to ensure Western remains a leader in preparing our students, our region, and our state for the economy of the future,” said Timmons.
The House and Senate must negotiate and agree on a final budget and revenue plan by the end of the legislative session, on April 27.