This afternoon the Senate Ways & Means Committee held a public hearing on the Senate’s proposed operating biennial operating budget.

The Senate’s proposed budget reduces state funding to higher education by $617.5 million. Of the total reduction to higher education, state funding for community and technical colleges is $200.3 million (14.4 percent) below the maintenance level and state funding for the four-year, public institutions is $417.3 million (29.8%) lower.

Under this proposed budget state funding for Evergreen is reduced by $14.28 million over the biennium. The reductions to Evergreen’s state funding were offset in part by tuition increases for the 2011-13 biennium as stated in the budget. As a result, the net cut to state funding for Evergreen is $5.78 million (-5.5%).

Representatives from key higher education stakeholder groups – including the Geoduck Student Union representative to the legislature, the Evergreen Council of Faculty representative, and the Director of Government Relations from Evergreen – testified to the impact of the proposed budget on students, faculty, and institutions.

Overall testimony acknowledged the dramatic reduction to higher education and the impact of this to Washington. Several stakeholders advocated for continual support of the budget’s funding for the State Need Grant program and the State Work Study program.  In addition, testimony showed appreciation for the open dialogue between senators and key stakeholders regarding the budget throughout its development and clarity within the budget.  Finally, stakeholders asked to continue to work with policymakers around personnel related reductions in the budget and some technical aspects of the bill.