The eleventh edition of Legislative News for the 2023 session is posted: Senate budgets released, committees hear College in the High School fee elimination, nursing education bills

Washington state will have almost $500 million less in its budget over the next two years, according to projections released Monday by the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council. Also on Monday, the Senate released its version of the capital budget, holding a hearing that afternoon. The Senate on Thursday released its version of the operating budget, with a hearing held this afternoon. 

Baydaa Alshatee has this week’s interns’ update: Support Senate Bill 5702!

I am a student senator at Everett Community College, and one of our focuses for fall quarter was housing insecurity. For a variety of reasons, many students are at risk or have experienced housing insecurity. As a senator, I get to interact with the student body as their peer and be a voice for them. That is how I made many friends who shared their stories with me.

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NOTE: To avoid duplication, members of community and technical college email group distribution lists (SBCTC staff, PIOs, presidents, advancement, trustees, development officers) need not join this eList.

Katie Rose

Communications and Marketing Associate

Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

krose@sbctc.edu • o: 360-704-4367 • f: 360-704-4415

sbctc.edu • Twitter: @SBCTCWashington • Facebook: @WASBCTC

The tenth edition of Legislative News for the 2023 session is posted: Committees back at work, Running Start, data sharing agreements, student support bills up for hearings

In their first full week of hearings after last week’s floor cutoff deadline, committees were back at work hearing bills on creating data sharing agreements, expanding Running Start to the summer, and making permanent the Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness program.

Jacob Katz has this week’s interns’ update: Lessons from the legislative galleries

Tomorrow morning, I will have the honor of introducing my district representatives at an in-person town hall meeting on my college campus. While preparing for this opportunity, I cannot help but reflect on the last few weeks of the internship that got me here.

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Subscribe to the SBCTC Legislative News eList. Please do NOT select the Digest option.

NOTE: To avoid duplication, members of community and technical college email group distribution lists (SBCTC staff, PIOs, presidents, advancement, trustees, development officers) need not join this eList.

Katie Rose

Communications and Marketing Associate

Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

krose@sbctc.edu • o: 360-704-4367 • f: 360-704-4415

sbctc.edu • Twitter: @SBCTCWashington • Facebook: @WASBCTC

The ninth edition of Legislative News for the 2023 session is posted: Hearings resume as session passes major cutoff deadline

The House and Senate passed a critical deadline Wednesday as bills — unless necessary for the budget — had to be voted out of their originating chamber to continue in the legislative process. Moving this week were bills on student basic needs, dual credit, data sharing, nursing and corrections education.

Baydaa Alshatee has this week’s interns’ update: Never stop learning

I have worked in higher education as a student leader since 2020. I have learned a lot. I have also learned I have more to improve upon. Part of my interest during my State Board for Community and Technical Colleges legislative internship is diversity and inclusion in the higher education landscape. The question to start my research is: What does professional development in equity, diversity and inclusion look like in higher education?

Katie Rose

Communications and Marketing Associate

Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

krose@sbctc.edu • o: 360-704-4367 • f: 360-704-4415

sbctc.edu • Twitter: @SBCTCWashington • Facebook: @WASBCTC

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges at its regular meeting Thursday, Feb. 2 will hear bachelor’s degree program statements of need from seven colleges. The programs are:

• Clark College: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
• Clover Park Technical College: Bachelor of Applied Science in Environmental Sciences
• Olympic College: Bachelor of Applied Science in Behavioral Healthcare
• Peninsula College: Bachelor of Applied Science in Behavioral Healthcare
• Spokane Community College: Bachelor of Applied Science in DevOps Engineering
• South Puget Sound Community College and Grays Harbor College: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
• Skagit Valley College: Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education

Also on the agenda is an update on the 2023 legislative session, including an overview of bills that would impact the community and technical college system.

Rep. Vandana Slatter, chair of the House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee, is scheduled to speak with the board at its Wednesday study session. Members will also hear from Mike Meotti, executive director of the Washington Student Achievement Council, on FAFSA and WASFA outreach and completion initiatives.

The regular meeting is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. and adjourn at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday. The study session will begin at 1 p.m. and end at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. The meetings are open to the public and will be held at the State Board office, 1300 Quince St. SE in Olympia. The meeting agenda and background materials are posted on the State Board’s website.