OLYMPIA, Wash. — Community and technical colleges are calling for investment from Washington state lawmakers this legislative session. Staff at community and technical colleges have launched the Reinvest in Our Colleges campaign and are asking for $500 million in permanent funding over the next two years.

Nearly 60 percent of postsecondary students in the state attend or graduate from CTCs, but those 34 colleges receive less than 40 percent of the state's higher education funding. Jim Howe, vice president for legislative affairs with the American Federation of Teachers of Washington and also a faculty member at Lake Washington Institute of Technology, said CTCs can fill the state's growing labor gap.

"There's a shortage of workers in so many fields - high-tech and nursing and things like that - and we're the ones that can supply those,” Howe said. “But it's a heavy lift, and we're struggling with our funding already."

In 2013, the Washington Student Achievement Council set a goal that 70 percent of adults would have postsecondary credentials by 2023. To achieve that goal, the colleges will need to graduate more than 45,000 students a year, roughly 12,000 more students than they currently graduate.

Howe said pay needs to be competitive to retain faculty. Forty percent of staff only make three-quarters of market-value salaries.

House Bill 1300 would create the Reinvest in Our Colleges program, with goals to increase compensation for faculty, establish an office for diversity and equity, and provide better wages for faculty and staff that work with incarcerated populations. The bill also calls for funding to increase the number of counselors at the colleges.

Earl Martin, a counselor at Everett Community College, said another bill, HB 1355, would set ratios for the number of students to each counselor.

"The last time the state had a standard was many years ago and they called for 1-to-500. But that was just a policy recommendation, never put into code,” Martin said. “We're asking for almost twice as high as that at the 900 level."

Martin said counselors are key for getting students ready to be part of the workforce. He also noted that community and technical colleges are the affordable - and sometimes only - option for Washingtonians. On average, tuition costs per quarter at CTCs are nearly 40 percent less than at a university, and nearly 65 percent less than at a research university.


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SEATTLE - Congress has abandoned plans for two free years of community college in its expansive spending bill. But low and middle income families in Washington state still have an option to make college more affordable.

Lawmakers approved the Washington College Grant in 2019. Michael Meotti, executive director of the Washington Student Achievement Council, called it one of the most generous financial aid programs in the country.

"If you are eligible for the full award amount," said Meotti, "it happens to equal tuition and fees at any public college or university - whether it's the University of Washington, Washington State University or a community college."

Students from a family of four that makes $56,000 a year or less are eligible for the full award. Partial awards are available for families making up to $102,000 a year.

The grant is available to undocumented students as well.

Meotti noteed the grant doesn't just cover public university and community college tuitions. It also covers participating technical colleges, apprenticeships and short-term higher education programs.

"All of those programs are covered under our Washington College Grant," said Meotti, "and it doesn't make any difference whether you just got out of high school or that you're 40 or 50 or 30 or anything. You're going to be covered and we can make those pathways affordable for your to advance in your personal life goals."

Members of Congress from Washington State, including Sen. Patty Murray - D-Wash. - and Rep. Pramila Jayapal - D-Seattle - have pushed for even more ambitious plans than the measure included in President Joe Biden's budget plan.

But Meotti said even Biden's proposal to make the first two years of community college free would most likely allow the state to cover other costs for students, such as child-care, transportation and housing.

"We would be able to be an extremely generous environment for those families to know they're not only getting free college," said Meotti, "they're getting support for these other life expenses while they're completing a degree."

Washington state students who graduated in 2019 owed an average of about $24,600 in debt, according to the Institute for College Access and Success.

MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota students are back in class today after a mid-October break for annual teacher workshops. Not only are there lingering concerns about how kids are coping with learning, there are signs of the pandemic affecting school staff as well.

Minnesota educators say they continue to see signs of students dealing with more anxiety. That extra emotional stress carries over to social workers, teachers and other staff.

Ann Peterson, principal for the Northeast Metro 916's area learning centers, said there's a feeling of defeat in not being able to reach students who fell off the radar during distance learning.

"I mean after so many attempts," said Peterson, "and after a while it's like, 'Well, I feel bad every time I reach out and hear nothing.'"

She said they're frustrated because many students and their families have been deeply affected by the crisis, and staff want to help get them back on track at school.

Groups like the Minnesota School Social Workers Association say it's important not only for staff to look out for students' needs, but to also embrace self-care as they navigate the latest stages of the crisis.

Tami Schumacher, a second-grade teacher from East Grand Forks, said in her entire career she has never felt as overwhelmed in looking out for her students.

"I go into school everyday with a positive attitude," said Schumacher. "And you know, I love what I do, I love what I do. But I'm tired."

She encouraged administrators to ease pressure on teachers to make sure students are caught up academically, and focus instead on stabilizing their mental well-being.

M.J. Gilbert - director of field instruction at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work - said it isn't surprising to see signs of burnout, especially when some staff face barriers in making connections with students.

"I have kids and families that are suffering," said Gilbert, "and I don't have the resources in my hand to provide for them."

She said the added pressure might lead to more educators leaving the profession. Meanwhile, others in the education community say they hope districts hire more cultural liaisons to boost outreach to families of students who haven't returned to school.

DENVER - On Wednesday, leaders from Colorado's 13 community colleges joined a national effort to help more of the state's adults get credentials and degrees.

Landon Pirius, a vice chancellor for academic and student affairs with the Colorado Community College System, said the goal is to transform programs traditionally designed for 18-to-22- year-olds in order to make education more accessible for adult learners.

"It should help, in this particular case," said Pirius, "adult students of color get additional higher education that can change the trajectory of their lives, and the communities that they live in."

Colleges will work closely with the Colorado Workforce Development Council to ensure that certificate and degree programs match current and future jobs that pay a living wage.

The effort, called the Racial Equity for Adult Credentials in Higher Education (REACH) Collaborative, is funded by a grant from Lumina Foundation.

Pirius said entire programs could be transformed to open career pathways for traditionally under-represented communities. Classes may be condensed to be completed in half the current time, or scheduled on nights and weekends to accommodate older students' schedules and responsibilities.

"Most [older students] have to support their families, they have mortgages to pay," said Pirius. "So, can we stack our credentials so that they can continue to move up in their profession, get more money, while they continue to go to school?"

For example, students who complete a Certified Nursing Assistant credential can start work, and get credits toward a Licensed Practical Nursing or LPN certificate. And higher-paying LPN work will count toward an Associate Degree and license to work as a higher-paid Registered Nurse.

Pirius said the REACH Collaborative will allow states to share these sorts of best practices.

"There's some things that Colorado might do better than, say, Texas or New York," said Pirius. "And there's some things that those states do better than we do. And by linking us all together, we can share strategies, share policies."

Colorado is one of six states in the REACH Program.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.