| FOR RELEASE: | Immediately |
| DATE: | January 16, 2012 |
| CONTACT: | Lisa Skari: (206) 870-3705, lskari@highline.edu |
Highline Community College’s Board Supports New Revenue Package
Endorses legislative efforts to secure new funds
DES MOINES, Wash. — At their meeting on Thursday, January 12, 2012, the Highline Community College Board of Trustees passed Resolution 101-2012 to support legislative efforts to secure new revenues.
Currently, the legislature is trying to address a budget problem of $2 billion. The state’s budget reductions, sustained over recent years, have left the college with diminished resources necessary to carry out the college’s mission, and meet the educational needs of the community. Last year, the state allocation to Highline Community College dropped 20%, from $25 million to $20 million. Additional reductions foreseen for the 2011-2013 biennium will likely prevent another 1,000 students from attending Highline Community College.
To mitigate the legislature’s cuts necessary to balance the budget, Highline’s Board of Trustees unanimously supported Resolution 101-2012, endorsing legislative efforts to secure a revenue source dedicated to funding and advancing the mission of Highline Community College and its sister community and technical colleges in the state of Washington.
“Highline Community College plays a critical role in our community, preparing our residents for jobs right now and for jobs the near future,” stated Federal Way Trustee Dan Altmayer. “Our students rely on us for the education they need to reach their career goals. Employers depend upon us to provide a skilled workforce to meet their business goals. Our state’s economic recovery depends on meeting these mutual needs of our community.”
The Board did not identify a source for the revenue, and deferred to the legislature to find a funding option that would yield the greatest support from the state’s citizens, while having the least negative impact on the state’s economic recovery.
“We cannot afford to stand by and let the cuts continue,” stated Board Chair, Dr. Ed Davila. “We must find remedies to maintain the quality of our community and technical colleges, and a new revenue source will do that.”
Highline Community College was founded in 1961 as the first community college in King County. With approximately 18,900 annual students and 350,000 alumni, it is one of the state’s largest institutions of higher education. The college offers a wide range of academic transfer and professional-technical education programs, with day, evening and weekend classes. Alumni include former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, entrepreneur Junki Yoshida and Washington state poet laureate Sam Green.
# # #