Shoreline Community College students who have already paid tuition for classes this fall may be in line for a bit of a refund, thanks to the new state budget, signed late Tuesday, June 30, 2015 by Gov. Jay Inslee.

The state budget, which took three special legislative sessions, includes a 5 percent tuition decrease for students at two-year colleges this fall. The state budget takes effect July 1, but the reduction doesn’t impact tuition paid for this summer quarter, which is currently underway.

Shoreline President Cheryl Roberts said she’s grateful for the Legislature’s realization that students were being hurt by sharp increases in the state-mandated tuition rates. During the recent economic downturn, lawmakers pulled money away from community and technical colleges and made up the difference by setting higher and higher tuition rates for students. In this budget, the Legislature did just the opposite, reducing tuition and backfilling with state funds to the colleges.

“This budget reverses the trend of placing an increased burden on the backs of students,” Roberts said. “Our legislators are acknowledging that investing in students at community and technical colleges is an investment that pays off for everyone in the state of Washington.”

The state budget also calls for two-year college tuition to remain flat for the 2016-17 fiscal year.

The amount students actually pay is a combination of tuition and fees. At the June 24 meeting, Shoreline’s Board of Trustees approved several fee increases, including an increase to the services and activities fee that is part of tuition. Shoreline officials are waiting for official notice from the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges on how the 5-percent decrease will be applied and will then work to determine how tuition refunds would be calculated. Affected students will receive notifications from the college.

Tuition at four-year institutions, which were already much higher, would also see 5 percent cuts in the first year of the new biennium. Students at the University of Washington and Washington State University get another 10 percent reduction in the second year, while students at Western, Central and Eastern Washington universities will see an additional 15 percent tuition cut in the second year.

College employees will receive a 3 percent cost of living increase in 2015-16 and another 1.8 percent increase in the following year.

Officials at Shoreline and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges continue to pore over the state budget document to better understand the details and implications of the difficult choices made by lawmakers and the governor that culminated in an agreement over this past weekend.

“While some of these are significant adjustments to the funding formula for the college, we’re very pleased that the Legislature reached a compromise and passed a budget,” Roberts said. “Now, we can focus on serving our students and our communities.”