Legislative Overview
In the News
Innovative community colleges are the key to our state’s economic rebound
Fund community colleges: To fill the jobs of the future
“Our community colleges can serve as 21st-century job training centers, working with local businesses to help workers learn the skills they need to fill the jobs of the future.”
—“Rebuilding something better,” Washington Post, editorial by President Obama
Fund community colleges: To prepare today’s workers for tomorrow’s jobs
“Evidence from Washington State suggests that displaced workers who attend a community college substantially increase their long-term earnings compared to those who do not. Again, the benefits are greatest for academic courses in math and science as well as courses related to the health professions and other technical fields. These findings point to a powerful role for community college education in helping displaced workers through the current economic downturn, particularly if they take classes in fields related to high-growth industries and occupations.”
— “Preparing the workers of today for the jobs of tomorrow,” Executive Office of the President Council of Economic Advisers report
Fund community colleges: To increase opportunities for employment
“A report by the Democratic Leadership Council predicts that, over the next decade, jobs for community college graduates will grow at a rate twice as fast as the national average, and will even surpass the growth expected for careers requiring bachelor's degrees. An associate degree not only increases the opportunity for employment, it also improves a worker's chances of holding on to his or her job when companies downsize.”
— “Turn On, Tune In, But Don't Drop Out,” Forbes, editorial by Hilary Pennington, director of education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Fund community colleges: To retrain workers
“Community colleges are ground zero for worker-retraining efforts. Thousands of laid-off workers are headed back to school — flooding Washington's community colleges and driving up demand for practical, career-focused programs such as health service and business administration...The math points to one thing: Given the number of students who enroll in community colleges for work-force training every year, these stepchild institutions have the potential to rejuvenate the nation's job market, feeding government-funded demand for so-called green jobs and other high-skill occupations.”
— “Your next career: Where retrained workers are headed,” The Herald, Everett
Fund community colleges: To train workers for green collar jobs
“Gregoire also highlighted Washington’s unprecedented growth in green job creation and discussed her 2007 goal to create 25,000 green jobs by 2020. A recent study by the state’s Employment Security Department identified that now 47,000 such positions exist in Washington, exceeding the governor’s goal. Innovative educational programs have been established by Washington’s community and technical colleges, and thousands of apprenticeships provide training for the farmers, engineers, technicians and architects who fuel the green economy.”
— “Gov. Gregoire testifies before U.S. Senate,” Governor’s Communications Office
Community colleges’ role in economic transition
“The state’s community colleges have a variety of important missions in this state — but this is an important one: Training workers to fill the jobs that are available.”
College tuition: society’s interest
“In looking for ways to accommodate more people in higher education, there is a good example to follow: Community colleges’ tuition rose less than inflation.” — Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorial board
In making tough cuts, don’t starve solutions
“Cut too deeply into community college funding, for example, and you could further damage the economy by eliminating training opportunities that lead to good-paying jobs — and greater government revenues.” — The Herald editorial
