Gov debate: Higher ed

Inslee: I know how difficult it is to see this incredible debt burden on kids. We’ve got to do things to make higher education more affordable… Expand online learning opportunities…free universities from some of the restrictions…allow colleges to commercialize some of their technologies …If we do these things, use colleges to drive our economy.

McKenna: In the 1990s, over 16 percent of the state budget went to higher education. Now it’s 8 percent. Stop cutting higher education in the general fund budget, which is why I called Republicans to reverse their proposed cuts in higher education.

Followup: You’re talking about a lot of new state spending. Can you reverse the trend in a first term?

Inslee: Don’t dig the hole deeper.

McKenna: The folks running Olympia (Democrats) for the last 20 years are responsible.