Latest update on Evergreen’s Budget and Survival

THANK YOU for acting to contact Legislators about Evergreen’s Budget.  Your messages are helping immensely during negotiations.  Keep the messages coming in.

 Here’s the background story:  The budget endgame is only 10 days away. Legislators still must debate and pass revenue bills, settle on cut targets and deliver approved operating, transportation and capital budgets to Governor Ferguson.

Evergreen’s budget is STILL UNCLEAR. Last Saturday April 12, Evergreen President John Carmichael and Government Relations Director Sandy Kaiser pushed hard against a House cut proposal of $7.8 million.  This cut would ONLY apply to Evergreen and would come on top of a 3% cut for all public four-year institutions. It’s aimed at bringing the college’s per-student costs closer to those of the larger public four-year colleges. This cut would be catastrophic for Evergreen. The House unfairly targeted Evergreen to “bring it in line” with the other huge college campuses around Washington that have so many more students to “spread the cost” of going to college.

After hours on the phone last weekend, John and Sandy made the case to House members that this extra cut was unfair. House legislators finally agreed to consider a lower cut of $1.8 million. But even the lower $1.8 million is on top of a 3% cut we must also take.  Again, Evergreen is singled out to cut more than other higher ed institutions. 

Results of 3% cut plus the $1.8 million…

Layoffs of faculty and staff at both Olympia and Tacoma campuses, eliminating student services, hardship for students and damage to our positive enrollment momentum. We also note that as Evergreen grows enrollment, it closes the gap in costs per student.

Insiders are predicting the Legislature will finish on time April 27, although they will be working nights and weekends to get there. The Legislature will hear a suite of major revenue bills this week, which would raise nearly $12 billion over four years. Democratic leaders are hoping to move them to the floor of the House and Senate this Saturday. Final budget bills are expected to be released on April 24.

House members are currently negotiating with their Senate counterparts.  The Senate proposed an Evergreen operating budget that would provide a slight overall increase to the college over the next biennium.  This will help us raise enrollment to off-set our costs. That is our main request:  Let us grow!

On a more fun and positive note…. You should see Olympia’s Capitol Campus today!

The delicate Yoshiro cherry blossoms have come and gone, but the Kwanzan cherry trees which line the Capitol grounds are out with brilliant, robust pink flowers.  Wish you were here Evergreen Advocates and just know that Sine Die is nigh!