School and university leaders warn governor’s supplemental would deepen K‑12 and higher‑education strain
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Summary
Superintendents, associations and university leaders told the Senate Ways and Means Committee that cuts to transition‑to‑kindergarten slots, Running Start, LEA increases and across‑the‑board higher‑education reductions would force layoffs, reduced services and program cuts; advocates urged restoring funding or pursuing progressive revenue.
A broad coalition of K‑12 administrators, unions and higher‑education leaders told the Senate Ways and Means Committee they oppose the governor’s proposed cuts to school programs and to state higher‑education support.
Tyler Munch, appearing on behalf of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, said the proposal "makes significant cuts to widely used education programs, including a $14,000,000 reduction to Running Start and a 25% reduction from transition to kindergarten slots." He added OSPI cannot continue to absorb cuts and still deliver constitutionally required supervision, enforcement and services.
Speakers from the Washington Education Association, Association of Washington School Principals, and regional associations described specific operational effects: reductions in MSOC (material, supplies, operations and costs), elimination of assistant principal positions in some districts, and disruptions to special‑education supports. Marissa Rathbone (school administrators/business officials) and Logan Noel Endress (school directors) said the package "does not account for the rising costs of operating schools" and urged targeted restorations such as MSOC and transportation adjustments.
Higher‑education witnesses, including representatives from the University of Washington, Western Washington University, WSU, and the Community and Technical Colleges system, said across‑the‑board cuts (Chobinski cited a 3% near general fund reduction for UW/WSU and 1.5% at regional institutions) would force program eliminations and staff reductions. Ivan Harrell, president of Tacoma Community College, said the combination of partial COLA coverage and rising utility and labor costs creates an untenable bind for colleges.
Several witnesses supported progressive revenue proposals, including the governor’s millionaire’s tax, as an alternative to deeper program cuts. The committee heard repeated requests to restore or protect targeted programs such as the Ninth Grade Success initiative and the Homeless Student Stability program.
Next step: Senators signaled they will weigh witnesses’ restoration requests as they develop budget amendments and consider revenue proposals.