The Evergreen State College, along with every other state agency in Washington, is impacted by the 2010 supplemental budgets released today by the Legislature.  For Evergreen the impact is mixed, including both reductions and investments.

2010 Supplemental Operating Budget

The supplemental operating budget released earlier today makes a strong commitment to funding programs that financially assist college students.  The operating budget in combination with revenue legislation restores funding to the State Need Grant. This funding preserves grants for 285 Evergreen students that would have been ineligible under the initial cuts proposed in the Governor’s Book 1 Budget and maintains award amounts appropriated in the 2009-11 biennial budget.  The state work study program was also reduced by 30% but not eliminated. This minimizes the impact on 162 Evergreen students who would have lost this financial resource had the program been eliminated.

The challenges and difficulties of the 2010 legislative session are still evident in changes outlined in the supplemental budget for Evergreen.  A proportion of facility maintenance costs are shifted from the operating to the capital budget ($3.247 million).  These costs will be funded with trust land revenues appropriated in the capital budget rather than with state general fund appropriations.

State funding for Evergreen was reduced by $1.291 million. This does not include a further reduction in state appropriations of $568,000 to be achieved through compensation reduction actions (SB 6503).

Apart from these reductions, Evergreen received $637,000 to provide for an increase in the monthly employer contributions for state employee health benefits. This appropriation provides for a rate increase for FY2011 from $768 to $850.

In addition, Evergreen’s Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) was appropriated $50,000 to provide research support to the Quality Education Council.

Finally, the budget transfers $164,000 from Evergreen to South Seattle Community College (SSCC) as a part of the transfer of the Labor Center from Evergreen to SSCC. The budget also provides that at least $119,207 for FY2011 be expended on the Longhouse and $103,146 expended on the Northwest Indian Applied Research Institute.

2010 Supplemental Capital Budget

The supplemental capital budget, like the operating budget, is a mixed bag for Evergreen. The upside is that the budget provides $125,000 for a feasibility study of the College’s Biomass Gasification Project. This investment makes the state a partner along with Evergreen students and the College who also provided $125,000 each to the study through energy-related fees and energy-cost savings.

The capital budget also reflects the shift from the operating to the capital budget ($3.247 million) of facility maintenance and operations costs.

Finally, the capital budget places greater reliance on Evergreen’s local funds, including the school trust and a portion of student tuition.