Washington is facing enrollment crises and learning loss in both K-12 and postsecondary education. This has potentially disastrous effects for our youth and even their children, as learning and economic mobility are intergenerational processes. This is happening despite Washington’s thriving knowledge economy and generous financial aid system. The problems ultimately lie in our education funding models and inequitable underlying conditions. We must act decisively to address them.
We are facing an unprecedented and growing crisis in K-12 enrollment, which is down across the country, but most pronounced in lower income schools and districts. Because Washington’s funding model is based on per pupil enrollment, these decreases in enrollment are leading to horrific cuts in staffing, particularly in the positions most important to student well being (such as advisors, counselors, and para educators). This is a dangerous spiral for all.
I side with the Washington Supreme Court’s McLeary decision that education is our “Paramount Duty.” We must not only double down on basic education, but also expand our horizons. We must move beyond a per pupil funding model and take into account inequities such as racism, redlining, and low property tax bases in rural and urban communities alike. We must decrease student to staff ratios for those most in need, along with expanding advising, counseling and nursing everywhere. This is one of my top priorities.
Finally, we need to revisit our curriculum model and turn towards preparing students to thrive as adults, fulfill their right fit pathway and earn good earning wage jobs. This means honoring student requests for courses in areas like Financial Literacy, Civics, Home Economics and even Driver’s Ed. It means collaborating with trade unions to create more meaningful connections between Career and Technical Education, pre-apprenticeships, and apprenticeships, ensuring credits are transferable. It means support for students and families as they exit the home and enter their future.
Of course, low college enrollment rates were an issue before the COVID-19 pandemic. In areas like Tacoma, this was partially a result of the district and campaigns like Graduate Tacoma doing an incredible job of increasing graduation rates, without equivalent support within higher ed for the growing pool to enter college. Graduation is intrinsically good, but it’s not enough to earn good earning wages, particularly as most jobs require expensive college degrees and financial aid is hard to understand.
The national failure to implement the new federal financial aid system only worsens the crisis. We are facing an unprecedented cliff in FAFSA completion and the lowest years for college enrollment in decades. The best way to undo this is finally making state colleges and universities free for all residents. In Washington, years of a generous but complex and underutilized aid system prove we must do away with confusing forms, accessibility issues, and means testing. Let’s catch up with the rest of the developed world. Make college free.
Ten years ago, I wrote a long piece on how decades of privatization led to the University of Washington (my Alma Mater) to receive only 5% (now 3%) of its funding from the state budget, and another on UW’s private real estate expansion. I called for an end to our flagship institution relying on huge tuition hikes, fees, and amenities to pay its bond debt. We must confront bloated university president, administrator, and coach salaries, and instead expand positions for staff and peer navigators. We must pursue innovative ways to fund higher education, including taxing the wealth of the employers who most benefit from our knowledge economy but contribute very little. This must include “untouchable” companies like Boeing, Microsoft and Amazon.
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