HECB proposes principles to guide higher ed budget making

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: - NOVEMBER 21, 2008

   OLYMPIA—Members of the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) have adopted a set of principles they hope state policymakers will follow as they make difficult decisions on higher education funding for the next biennium.

   The HECB developed the principles in consultation with public baccalaureate institutions and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. 

   As the Governor and Legislature work to develop the 2009-11 biennial budget in a time of significant economic challenges for the state, the HECB urges the policymakers to:

• Fully fund the “carry-forward” spending level that will constitute the base of the next biennium’s budget.

• Provide full funding for any new enrollments or enhancements. During previous economic downturns, additional enrollments and tuition increases were sometimes accompanied by cuts in state appropriations.   

• Limit tuition increases to those allowed within current law and policy.

• To ensure that higher education remains accessible to lower income people, provide state Need Grant funding at a level sufficient to offset any tuition increases.

   The HECB also is asking policymakers to support leadership at the state’s institutions of higher education by giving them the flexibility to make the tough decisions necessary to respond to the budget crisis. They also are asking that accountability for outcomes in higher education be adjusted to reflect the new realities that cuts in higher education funding would create.

   “We recognize the difficult choices policymakers will have to make as they weigh the needs of state government programs and services,” said HECB Executive Director Ann Daley. “We know though that investments in higher education are the primary solution for our state’s immediate and long-term economic needs. Higher education is the fuel for economic stability, growth, and competitiveness. These principles are a statement of important policy and leadership. They reflect the interests of all of higher education, not of any particular college.”

Budget Principles - as amended - (Resolution 08-40)

For more information contact: Gary Larson

E-mail: garyl@hecb.wa.gov

Phone: 360-753-7817

#  #  #