Dr. Christine Johnson: State disinvestment in community colleges hurts economy

Spokane Community College and Spokane Falls Community College have a strong record for producing graduates who land well-paying jobs or transfer to four-year colleges and universities.

Each year, Community Colleges of Spokane serves more than 30,000 students with programs ranging from competitive honors transfer degrees to adult basic skills. We are proud of the community and technical college open-door philosophy of providing educational opportunity to all searching to improve their lives.

And yet, community and technical colleges receive the lowest level of state funding per full-time student in Washington. Collectively, our colleges are operating at 2007 funding levels – with ever-increasing costs. The state disinvestment is damaging to our students and our state. Decreased funding has limited our ability to respond to employer and student needs as we’ve had to reduce programs. Beyond the classroom, we are forced to reduce staff who provide essential support services to help students succeed.

To meet the future needs of our students and communities, two-year colleges need an additional investment from the Washington Legislature commensurate with the role we serve: to elevate individuals and communities socially and economically, to invigorate local and regional economies, to build the nation’s workforce that keeps America competitive.

It’s a tall order.

That’s why the community and technical college system is asking the Legislature for $200 million for the operating budget for all 34 colleges. The investment would help produce the diverse talent pool needed to fill thousands of jobs necessary to sustain Washington’s economy. These investments would ripple throughout the Inland Northwest’s growing economy. Without these funds, our two colleges will have reduced capacity to grow the next generation of entrepreneurs, early childhood professionals, nurses, mechanics, electricians, welders and every other professional prepared by SCC and SFCC in 150 certificate and degree areas.

Equally important, our colleges need to keep their buildings and training facilities up to date. Today’s budget for maintenance and construction projects at community and technical colleges is 48 percent lower than the recession-era budget. The community and technical college system is also is asking the Legislature to reinvest in capital construction projects so students learn in current, well-maintained buildings preparing them for real-world work experience.

Our graduates have passed the academic and licensure tests, but as we prepare thousands of students to graduate in June, we’re reminded of the huge challenges many have overcome to arrive at this significant milepost. We’ve helped them transform their lives and have helped them shape new futures.

It’s widely recognized that a strong economy requires an educated workforce. Only 40 percent of the adults in Spokane County have completed a two-year transfer or higher degree and 86,000 local working adults started college but never finished their degrees. Business and industry leaders agree that educating our adults is indispensable to improving our economy.

Consider this: Of the 740,000 projected job openings in Washington state in the next five years, over half will require a college certificate or degree.

With 40 different health care certificate and degree programs, Community Colleges of Spokane plays a vital role in providing the region more health care professionals than any other higher education institution. Our graduates, in the health sector and many other fields, are recognized for their preparedness to be vital parts of a changing economy – educationally well-rounded and technically skilled.

We operate two of the state’s 34 community and technical colleges and we offer tuition savings, small class sizes, outstanding dedicated faculty and real-world, relevant training for a six-county region. We serve the largest geographic area of any community college district in the state by operating six rural education centers and numerous adult basic education centers throughout the region.

Community Colleges of Spokane, along with all the colleges in our state system, have demonstrated effective and efficient stewardship of state resources. We have documented our agility and innovation. We have reinvented and reorganized to optimize limited funding.

Our open-door enrollment approach has transformed unskilled adults into productive and employable technicians who contribute to their families, our communities and society in general. Our colleges’ contributions are much more than economic impact – we give life to the American dream. We are an unrivaled and worthy investment in the future.