House and Senate policy committees spent their last full week before the House of Origin policy cutoff hearing testimony on bills and learning more about issues facing higher education in the state. Both the House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee and Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee heard the State Board-requested bill that would extend the Washington College Grant to students enrolled in eligible postsecondary nondegree credential programs. During a work session on Monday, the Senate Higher Education Committee examined the work of the community and technical colleges in dual-credit pathways.

Senate higher education committee hears overview of dual credit pathways

Jan. 26 — Members of the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee met on Monday to discuss dual credit pathways provided at public institutions of higher education in the state during a work session. Jamie Traugott, director of student services & K12 alignment at the State Board, provided Senators with a high-level overview of the successes and challenges of dual credit programs over the past several years.

The presentation highlighted shifting demographics and enrollment patterns for Running Start. Enrollment of students of color has increased to 48%, and the program is now serving over 40% of low-income students. Although there is ongoing concern about the annual decline in the high school population, the community college system has seen enrollment levels comparable to pre-pandemic levels for the past two years. For fall 2025, headcount reached 35,914, with some of the growth attributed to expanded summer offerings.

HB 1316, which was passed by the legislature in 2023, expanded the Running Start full-time enrollment (FTE) cap from 1.2 to 1.4 FTE — allowing high school students to take up to 10 additional credits during the summer quarter.

“Right now, 2,150 students have earned an associate’s degree within the last two years, Traugott told senators. “So the purpose of that change was to get more degrees and high school completion in students’ hands to meet our attainment goal, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

In reference to Governor Ferguson’s proposed budget to cut back the Running Start FTE from 1.4 to 1.2, Traugott told senators, “If there was some reduction in that 1.4, we would be losing about 12,000 running start students and that 32 percent, which is helping them stay on track for degree completion.”

State board-requested bill heard in House and Sente higher education committees

Jan. 26 — The Senate Higher Education and Workforce Committee at its hearing Monday heard testimony on the State Board’s agency-requested bill, which would expand the Washington College Grant to students enrolled in eligible postsecondary nondegree credential programs.

Sen. Matt Boehnke, SB 6217’s prime sponsor and an assistant professor of computer science at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, testified that this bill would give students choices.

“This matters to me when we are discussing with the State Board for Community & Technical Colleges, really the evolution of where higher ed is going,” he said. “This is a targeted bill that goes after a pragmatic upgrade to what we see in the next generation. And as Students are enrolled, they’re eligible for, of course, the college grant. And as our economy is not only running on four-year, two-year certifications, but all of the apprentice programs, we’re looking at opportunities where we can provide more oversight to be responsible — but not too heavy lift — and allow us that flexibility within the college grant program to reach out to having this.”

Tim Stokes, president at South Puget Sound Community College, testified in support of the bill and shared an example of how it could be applied.

“We created a 10-week construction trades program to allow for a certification for construction trades in consultation and partnership with United Way, Olympia Master Builders. We’re running that program. It’s very successful,” he said. “The challenge is, it’s $1,200 for students to pay. We need access to the Washington College Grant for those students.”

Daimon Doyle, a construction trades instructor at South Puget Sound Community College, also testified in support of the bill.

“We lost more than 80 percent of the workforce back in 2008 during the mortgage crisis and again during the covid crisis. Estimates are that over the last 20 years, for every 12 people who leave the industry, only 5 enter,” Doyle told senators. “So last summer, I signed up to be an instructor here at South Puget Sound Community College for this residential construction program. We are on our third cohort.”

“Traditionally, it was on-the-job training, but this program is providing students with the tools they need in order to enter the industry ready to go. It’s been super successful. We’ve got over 80 percent hiring rate,” he said.

The companion bill, HB 2458, sponsored by Rep. Debra Entenman, was also up for public hearing this week in the House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee.

State Board representatives testify against running start cuts in Senate early learning & K-12 committee

Jan. 27 — The Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee at its hearing Tuesday heard testimony on the Office of Financial Management’s-requested bill, which would reduce Running Start from 1.4 to 1.2 full-time equivalency (FTE).

Sen. Lisa Wellman, SB 6260’s prime sponsor and chair of the committee, testified that legislators are weighing difficult decisions this legislative session.

“As hopefully everyone involved in education knows, I have tried to be as big a champion and come up with the right amount of money and right-sizing, what we need to be sending to our schools,” she said. “But in order to balance the budget and to close the books — and it’s something that was presented to me — this is frankly why we’re running this bill and saving this money in these specific programs, hoping to spend more money in others. Not necessarily a lot of money, but being fairly, again, surgical and where we can perhaps put some additional monies.”

Lori Christmas, director of educational partnerships, K-12 outreach & recruitment at Gray’s Harbor College, testified in opposition to the bill.

“We serve 560 students from 19 high schools across Grays Harbor and Pacific counties, 92% qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and many are first in their families to attend college. For these students in the Running Start program, it’s a lifeline,” she told senators.

Jamie Traugott, director of student services & K12 alignment at the State Board, also testified in opposition to the bill.

“Summer quarter serves the highest percentage of low-income waiver students than any term at 41%, highlighting the critical role in broadening access to underserved populations,” she said. “The current structure is delivering exactly what the legislature intended: improved access, higher completion rates, and more equitable opportunities for students.”

Carli Schiffner, president at Grays Harbor College, stated, “This is a basic equity issue,” she said. “The majority of our students come from households living below the poverty line. The reduction to 1.2 FTE will mean that less students will complete their degrees, period. As a state, if we are truly committed to a 70% post-secondary completion rate, it is key for us to retain the 1.4 FTE funding in the Running Start program.”

Teresa Rich, president at Yakima Valley College, added, “Running Start is creating opportunities for our students: students like Maria Conrejo, who completed her associate’s degree and her high school diploma in 2024, and then was selected to participate in a Washington World Fellows program,” she said. “And in the fall of 2024, she was the first student in her family to enroll in a four-year university: Harvard University.”

Joyce Loveday, president at Clover Park Technical College, also testified in opposition.

“In 2024, CPTC partnered with our closest K-12 school district, the Clover Park School District, to provide juniors and seniors early exposure to lucrative career paths through the summer Running Start program,” she said. “Fifty students participated in the first year in areas such as mechatronics, construction trades, nursing assistant, and environmental science. And these students earned a recognized industry credential, gained 10 to 15 college credits, and advanced themselves for the future.”

Justin Guillory, president at Whatcom Community College, noted, “At Whatcom Community College, summer enrollment grew from 49 FTE in 2023 to 166 FTE in 2025, representing a 238% increase,” he said. “During that same period, associate degree attainment increased by more than 41%.”

Chio Flores, president at Pierce College, Puyallup, also testified in opposition.

“The impact of reducing the FTE to 1.2 would effectively eliminate summer access for students, many of them who are low-income, middle to low-income, as well as first-generation students,” she said. “And our students will not be able to remain full-time during the academic year — fall, winter, and spring quarters. This slow degree progress undermines the gains in degree attainment and reduces early credential attainment.”

Along with college leaders, several students testified against the bill, noting that Running Start had a positive impact on their educational journeys.

Ruffaro Guzha, student legislative intern for the State Board and a student at Pierce College, Fort Steilacoom, told senators, “It directly limits the flexibility that made Running Start so transformative for students like me. The reduction may sound minor on paper, but in practice, it can mean the difference between a student being able to complete a meaningful college pathway or being forced to scale back, delay, or forego some coursework altogether. And for many students, it is the most accessible path to higher education.”

Owen Sharp, a Running Start student from Centralia College, also testified in opposition.

“Stripping students of some of these opportunities by reducing FTE and reducing the amount of summer term credits they can earn would both potentially hold them back from graduating with science-focused associate’s degrees,” he told senators.

Ronin Wachter, also a Running Start student at Centralia College, testified against the bill.

“Running Start has impacted me by allowing me to start learning and pursuing a career in welding at an early age at a very affordable cost,” he said. “Summer Running Start has also impacted me by lightening my workload for other classes I need and causing less overall stress.”

Senate higher education committee hears bill to eliminate fund split

Jan. 29— The Senate Higher Education and Workforce Committee at its hearing Thursday heard testimony on a bill that would fully fund levels for increases in employee compensation at community and technical colleges starting in the 2029-31 biennium.

Sen. T’wina Nobles, SB 6325’s prime sponsor and chair of the committee, along with other committee members, heard testimony from college leadership across the system.

College leaders testifying is support of the bill included Arlen Harris, legislative director at the State Board; Chemene Crawford, president at Everett Community College; Suzy Ames, president at Peninsula College; Rebekah Woods, president at Columbia Basin College; Tim Stokes, president at South Puget Sound Community College; Joyce Loveday, president at Clover Park Technical College; Amy Parris, trustee at Big Bend Community College; Amy Morrison, president at Lake Washington Institute of Technology; and Chantae Recasner, president at Seattle Central College.

Trustees confirmed by the Senate

The Senate confirmed three trustees this week and another three trustees last week to the boards of their colleges: