Restoration of State Child Care Program a Significant Victory for GPSS

The state Higher Education Coordinating Board's (HECB) Child Care Matching Grant program, which provides financial aid for students with children across the state and was suspended in an earlier legislative session, has been restored to previous funding levels with the Legislature's passage of the state budget Wednesday night.

The reconciliation budget bill included $75,000 a year in funding over two years for the program, which is awarded to four-year and community and technical colleges as grants to match existing campus childcare investments.

The reinstatement is an unlikely and significant development in a legislative session in which lawmakers were facing a $5.3 billion budget shortfall and cut funding to higher education by $535 million. The University of Washington's operating budget was cut 33 percent, or $209 million.

"It is an amazing advocacy accomplishment for a suspended program to have its funding reinstated, given this budget climate," said Ben Henry, Graduate & Professional Student Senate (GPSS) Vice President and Washington Student Association (WSA) legislative liaison. "As a result, hundreds of students with children across the state, including at UW, will see fewer barriers to completing their degrees."

WSA Executive Director Mike Bogatay says it's a "done deal," as Gov. Chris Gregoire will not be able to veto this particular budget line item. "The Governor can only line-item veto what is written in the budget," he said. "Since it was included in carry-forward funding and not written in as budget proviso, she doesn't have the authority to (veto) it."

GPSS and WSA spent much of this legislative session advocating for restoration of this program, proposing what became Senate Bill 5795, which would have created a funding mechanism for the program via unclaimed lottery prizes. The bill, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, would have funded the program at $250,000 a year.

"The Legislature did not fund Child Care Matching Grants at what we were asking for in the bill, but, given what we were up against this year, this was a huge victory for us," Henry said.

Said GPSS President Sarah Reyneveld: "The reinstatement of the program demonstrates that the state Legislature feels strongly that funding child care for student-parents is worth the investment, as it increases access and timeliness to degree completion."

Sam Shaddox, the student member of the HECB, says the program is "critical to maintaining educational opportunies for all Washington citizens, and this keeps the door open for more funding in the future. Each and every dollar this program receives goes toward maintaining accessibility to higher education for Washington's citizens. This is recognition by the Legislature that child-care funding is a barrier to higher education that has to be addressed."

While this program's reinstatement presents a win, it was a very rough session for graduate and professional student interests. Besides institutional funding cuts, funding for what had been the last remaining state financial aid program that benefits graduate students, State Work Study, was cut by $31 million, or 66 percent, to $16 million.

"While we are very saddened by this drastic reduction in funding and gutting of the program, GPSS considers the preservation of Work-Study as a victory, given the fact that the House originally proposed an outright suspension of the program," Henry said.

Other changes to the State Work Study program include increasing the required employer share of wages and discontinuing non-resident student eligibility for the program. Further, the HECB will adjust employer match rates and revise distribution methods to institutions by considering other factors such as off-campus job development, historical utilization trends, and student need.

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Past blog posts on childcare

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Past news coverage on this state program:

Daunting assignment: Students lobby against cuts to higher education

Seattle Times, March 15, 2011

Child Care funding bill stopped in state senate

The Daily, March 9, 2011

Child care bill would provide more aid for student-parents

The Daily, March 1, 2011

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Past news coverage on childcare on campus:

UW students bring kids to classes, seek child-care help
Seattle Times, May 9, 2011

Kids in the Quad
The Daily, May 5, 2011

New GPSS task force meets to discuss increase in resources on campus for student-parents
The Daily, January 31, 2011

The cost of care
The Daily, October 5, 2010

Student-parents concerned with campus resources
The Daily, September 29, 2010

Senate Budget Restores Work Study, Cuts 34% of UW Budget

Last Wednesday night, the Senate finally released its budget proposal. Now all three major parties — the Governor, the House, and the Senate — have offered their visions for how to deal with the $5.1 billion budget shortfall the state is facing this session.

SENATE PROPOSES 34% CUT TO UW OPERATING BUDGET

Cuts to UW’s operating budget results in higher tuition; decreased ability to solicit federal research dollars; fewer assistantship opportunities, larger class sizes, and increased assistantship workloads; expanding already-overwhelming debt burdens; and the prospect that world-class programs may be consolidated or even eliminated.

The Senate budget is nearly on par with House on bottom line numbers ... they're "equally bad," as UW Director of State Relations Margaret Shepherd puts it. However, the Senate assumes furloughs that pushes cuts higher than the House cut.

The Senate assumes a 16% increase in annual undergraduate tuition to make up for budget cuts. The House assumed 13% across all categories. However, the House assumes across-the-board tuition increases, including graduate and non-resident tuition, which UW would not be able to implement. So, in practice, the House overestimates tuition revenue, and we're more likely to see what would amount to a 16% tuition increase for undergrads in the House proposal.

Comparisons of the institutional cut, including compensation reductions and furloughs (which the institution must absorb), can be seen in the chart at right.

Note that the House budget doesn't mandate furloughs, which pretty much accounts for the difference between the House and Senate. The net cut (taking into account tuition increases) to UW is 5% for both budgets.

FINANCIAL AID: SENATE SAVES STATE WORK STUDY, BUT STILL CUTS IT IN HALF

Unlike the House, which proposed outright elimination of all funding, the Senate preserves the State Work Study (SWS) program, but assumes greater employer contribution and excludes non-residents. SWS funding is reduced by $23.72 million, about half of the budget (currently funded at $45 million for the biennium). GPSS dislikes all three proposals, but prefer the Governor's $21.3 million cut, which is $2.42 million, or about 11%, less than the Senate's.

So, we are relieved that the Senate is not proposing the END OF FINANCIAL AID FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS, but the program will very likely be taking a huge hit, one way or another.


FINANCIAL AID: CHILDCARE PROGRAM SUSPENDED

Finally, we are disappointed that our proposal to use unclaimed lottery winnings to help fund the CCMG program was not included in the budget. Because this program will be suspended, hundreds of parents at four-year institutions and CTCs will take longer to graduate and join the workforce. We urge the Legislature in budget negotiations going forward to mitigate what is the third greatest barrier to degree completion, childcare.


TESTIMONY AT SENATE WAYS & MEANS

GPSS and several other students testified at Wednesday's Ways & Means hearing. Here is GPSS Policy Analyst Lauren Hipp, representing GPSS:



ASUW students:



Margaret Shepherd, UW Director of State Relations: “You get something from the University of Washington whether you go there or not.”



David Parsons, UAW Local 4121 President: "Impacting competitiveness to attract the best and the brightest for TAs and RAs"



Mike Bogatay, Washington Student Association Executive Director:




The Daily: ‘Senate takes slightly deeper cuts’ with released budget

House Unveils Budget, Proposes the End of Financial Aid for Grad Students

After a weeklong delay, yesterday the House released its budget. They are proposing to cut nearly half a BILLION dollars from higher education funding, including well over $200 million to UW's budget. The proposal increases in-state undergraduate tuition by 26% over the biennium, and suspends the State Work Study program, in addition to other smaller financial aid programs that graduate and professional students benefit from.

This is a profound policy shift by the House. They in essence are proposing the END OF FINANCIAL AID for graduate and professional students.

Here is some news coverage, with The Daily's story including the GPSS perspective:

• The Daily: UW faces budget cuts and tuition hikes with release of state budget
• The Daily opinion: Budget reductions resemble those Wise warned of in letter
• Seattle Times: House Dems outline plan to close $5 billion state budget shortfall

We had a few hours to digest the budget before we had to go and testify on it. Here is the GPSS testimony, including GPSS Policy Analyst Lauren Hipp, myself, and Higher Education Coordinating Board member and UW law student Sam Shaddox:

Frances Youn, UW Student Regent:

ASUW President Madeleine McKenna and ASUW Senate Vice Chair Michelle Nance:



Washington Student Association Executive Director Mike Bogatay:



Nick Muy, representing the Evans School of Public Affairs:

Gaping Budget Shortfall Increases; GPSS Organizes Inaugural Day of Advocacy

The revenue forecast is in, and, as expected, the news isn't good; because of the sluggish economy, the state should expect to collect $780 million less in tax revenue than expected. This means the state budget shortfall is now $5.1 billion, about a sixth of the entire state budget.

This means proposed cuts to higher education will be that much more difficult to fight, and raises the possibility of even more cuts.

GPSS Legislative Assistant Melanie Mayock has been pushing for a renewed look at the prospect of advocating for new revenue, and that idea is starting to look more and more attractive. The trick is that new revenue (tax increases) is largely seen as a pipe dream this session, because voters — through i1098 (income tax on high-earners), i1053 (requiring two-third majority for tax increases), and i1107 (candy tax) — have resoundingly said they are not interested in revenue as a solution to the budget shortfall.

Tim Eyman's 1053 is particularly what has made the new revenue discussion a non-starter in Olympia this session; it would require either a two-thirds majority in the Legislature — politically impossible this session — or a legislative simple majority coupled with voter approval via referendum to increase taxes.

We are in talks with a coalition for new revenue that has been pushing to close tax loopholes, among other things. Unlike last session, when new revenue was a huge part of the Washington Student Association's message, we have largely been playing defense against cuts this session. But we believe the more voices that are out there advocating for new revenue, the more politically feasible it would be for legislators to tackle this difficult issue.

STUDENTS FACE HUGE IMPACTS TO THEIR PROGRAMS
Meanwhile, students from UW's Evans School of Public Affairs, Information School, and Public Health Genetics are facing the threat of their programs either being consolidated with other programs or eliminated completely because of budget cuts.

In response to these threats and to the revenue forecast, GPSS has organized a day of advocacy focused exclusively on graduate and professional student issues. The inaugural GPSS Day of Advocacy will take place Thursday, March 24, and will include 17 meetings with some of the most influential higher education voices in Olympia.

We will be meeting with the Governor’s Higher Education Advisor, the Office of the Speaker of the House, the Chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee, the Chairs and Vice Chairs of both higher education committees, the Chair of the House Education Appropriations Committee, the Vice Chair of House Ways & Means, and the Ranking Minority Members of the House and Senate Higher Education committees, among others.

This will be a unique opportunity for graduate students particularly impacted by budget cuts to make their case directly to some very powerful people.

Topics that will be covered include:

• Threat of Evans School consolidation 
• Threat of iSchool consolidation 
• Threat of Public Health Genetics elimination 
• Threat of cuts to Work-Study program 
• Prospect of referendum for new revenue to fund financial aid 
• Funding the Childcare Matching Grants program 

Student representatives from each of those programs have been invited to participate.

With the gaping budget shortfall growing and the cuts we are facing, we have our work cut out for us. But we will make our case and tell legislators that graduate education is one of the most potent economic drivers around and that higher education should be a priority.

The State of Higher Ed, from the Student Perspective

The last couple of weeks have been very intense. On Feb. 23, President Wise sent a letter to legislative leadership outlining what budget cuts would look like at UW. In this letter, the Evans School of Public Affairs and the Information School were named as facing potential consolidation with another school. The Public Health Genetics program is facing elimination.

As you can imagine, there are many very extremely concerned students who are trying to figure out what this all means. GPSS has been working to get students information and to bring them together.

Meanwhile, this morning I testified before the House Higher Education Committee on behalf of the Washington Student Association. It was a very candid and heartfelt testimony, with the intention of encouraging legislators to put themselves in the (hole-ridden) shoes of students.

Here is the Seattle Times' coverage of this hearing:
University presidents warn lawmakers about higher-ed budget cuts

View my testimony here:



Click here for video of full committee hearing.

With the Legislature starting to shift its focus to the biennial budget, there is much left to be decided. We will continue to work hard to ensure that graduate students interests are heard.

Here are some media links on the President's letter, her town hall meeting yesterday, and the Evans School reaction.

President Wise letter:
The Daily: Wise sends letter to Legislature warning about costs of cuts
Seattle Times: State university presidents paint grim picture on budget cuts

President Wise town hall:
UWTV video: President’s Town Hall – State of the UW Budget
The Daily: Wise addresses budget at yesterday’s town-hall meeting

Evans School consolidation:
The Daily: Students organize to prevent consolidation of Evans School
Seattle Times: UW cuts may hit Evans School of Public Affairs
"Evans School Stories" video

Tuition to Fund Financial Aid?

One bill that seems to be, along with the Governor's task force bill, dominating discussions in Olympia is Rep. Reuven Carlyle's Higher Education Opportunity Act. The Seattle democrat has proactively extended an invitation to students to offer input in his bill, as he has said he understands that "nothing passes without students."

What it in essence does is temporarily give boards of trustees the ability to set undergraduate tuition, and ties tuition increases to significant increases in financial aid funding.

We hate the idea of relying on tuition dollars to do this, but it does help to preserve accessibility for low- and middle-income students.

The unfortunate reality of higher-ed funding this session is that we are going to have to rely more on tuition to fill gaping budget holes. The bad news is a quality education will be less affordable. The good news is, well, the University would be able to use tuition dollars to operate at levels that would not be as bad as it would be without tuition.

Here is The Daily's coverage of this bill, and this story includes a healthy dose of student perspective: Mixed feelings among students about new tuition bill

Here's Rep. Carlyle's blog explaining his bill: The largest expansion of middle class financial aid in state history: Higher Education Opportunity Act

And the Seattle Times' coverage on the bill: Bill: different tuition for each program

Budget Bill Violates Spirit of Federal Requirement

Testified at Senate Ways & Means yesterday on the supplemental budget bill that makes cuts to the current biennium. The bill cuts $5.6 million from financial aid, and uses tuition to backfill. This is in violation of the spirit of the "maintenance of effort" requirement stipulated by the federal government when the state accepted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds last year.

Another example of higher education being a piggy bank, balancing the state budget on the backs of students.





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UPDATE: Check out Quinn Majeski's op-ed: http://publicola.com/2011/02/03/legislature-fail/

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ANOTHER UPDATE: Washington Students Association analysis, "Stop the Tuition Raid": http://wastudents.org/Issues/stopthetuitionra.html

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THE DAILY'S COVERAGE: http://dailyuw.com/2011/2/7/senate-considering-using-tuition-money-fund-state-/

$2 million research cut

House Ways & Means
Jan. 18, 2011





And check out The Daily's writeup of the $2 million in UW funding that the House budget goes after: http://dailyuw.com/2011/1/26/student-lobbyists-upset-possible-2-million-researc/

Legislative session kicks off

We are facing one of the most significant budget crises in state and UW history. So much is at stake: the potential elimination or consolidation of entire graduate programs; laying off of professors, staff, TAs, RAs; larger class sizes; fewer course offerings; fewer student services; reduced research funding.

With the 2011 Legislative Session kicking off on Monday, Jan. 10, I wanted to provide you with an update on what GPSS is doing to advocate for UW's graduate and professional student interests.

Governor's Higher Education Funding Task Force

You may have seen the lead story in the Seattle Times last week: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013835321_highered04m.html

And here is The Daily's report, which includes the student perspective: http://dailyuw.com/2011/1/5/transferring-tuition-control/

We are disturbed by what appears to be an endorsement of the funding floor model that's being labeled as being about local tuition control. Really, it would give the administration the ability to significantly raise tuition to make up for severe state budget cuts. While graduate education is already locally controlled, what happens to undergraduate tuition will certainly have a bearing on what happens to graduate tuition.

The budget crisis should not be a license to take money out of student pockets. We will advocate that legislators preserve access for low- and middle-income students. Ideally this is through keeping tuition low. But in lieu of that, we want the Legislature to EXPAND financial aid funding and fund the few programs that benefit graduate and professional students.

The Governor's budget

Last month, the Governor released her first budget. It would eliminate many services and would make dramatic cuts in education funding. Tuition would increase by 22 percent over two years for UW undergrads. But even with the cuts, colleges and universities would collectively experience $220 million in cuts.

Seattle Times coverage: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013685184_budget16m.html

If this budget goes through as-is, UW's state appropriation will have been cut in HALF over three years. This could have catastrophic impacts on UW's graduate programs and could result in the elimination or consolidation of entire graduate programs, historically high tuition increases, massive cuts in TA positions, the loss of world-class faculty, reduced class offerings, and more.

Further, all financial aid programs that benefit graduate and professional students would be eliminated (except for State Work-Study, from which just 3% of UW's graduate and professional students benefit).

Student engagement

The signature student advocacy event of the year will be Husky on the Hill Day on Friday, Feb. 11. This will be a vitally important opportunity to show legislators that students will not stand a further degradation of the state's commitment to higher education. To learn more about the event or to become involved, go here: http://www.gpss.washington.edu/content/huskies-hill-lobby-day-february-11-2011

Beyond that, GPSS Legislative Assistant Melanie Mayock and I have been working closely with the GPSS Communications & Outreach Committee to develop a student engagement strategy. We are working to set up town halls at individual graduate programs, like medicine, nursing, public affairs, law, public health, etc.

We are also planning other engagement campaigns, like a video storytelling contest and Huskies on the Hill contest that offers a pizza party for the program with the highest proportional attendance. Getting you out there and engaged is a vital piece of our legislative efforts. If we all realize what's at stake, we know you'll want to rise up and fight for higher education. Our challenge will be getting the word out.

Coming down the pike

Lots of meetings and committee hearings for me in Olympia. On campus, we've got a little more than a month till lobby day. We are hoping to conduct several town halls to educate students on what we are facing and why they need to understand that this session will change everything, the level of quality we have become accustomed to can no longer be taken for granted. So right now it's all hands on deck for lobby day planning.

Legislatively, bills are just now dropping, so we don't have specifics on what we are facing, though we have a sense based on some legislator proposals we've seen. Looks like local tuition control (and, more specifically, the funding floor model) will be the big topic in higher ed this session.

And here are some other links in case you need something to read or watch ...

Here, House and Senate leadership look ahead to session. Higher ed comes up at 14:34. "Higher education has been the piggy bank for times when things get tough." btw, check out 18:38 when Sen. Hewitt briefly talks about the impact the student voice has.

http://www.tvw.org/media/mediaplayer.cfm?evid=2011010008A&TYPE=V&CFID=2123247&CFTOKEN=65592692&bhcp=1

Other reads:

http://www.seattlepostglobe.org/2010/12/31/washington-budget-cuts-raise-questions-about-higher-ed-quality-and-accessibility

http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/jan/03/govs-higher-ed-task-force-to-share-its-ideas/

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110104/NEWS01/701049905

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/jan/03/letter-to-the-editor-cutting-education-is-our/

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110103/BLOG13/110109965

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/01/04/1487945/how-to-fund-higher-ed.html

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/01/04/1494167/private-money-for-higher-ed.html

Let me know if you have questions or comments!

Ben