Governor’s Budget Invests in Washington Students and Evergreen Priorities

by Allison Anderson
December 14, 2018
Evergreen Clock Tower with a Rainbow

Governor Jay Inslee’s 2019 – 2021 operating and capital budget proposals, released December 13, offer real encouragement to Washington college students through expanded funding of the Washington Promise Scholarship (formerly State Need Grant), and support for student success, health and wellness, and improved physical facilities at The Evergreen State College.

“The governor’s recommended investments are great news for the range of students we serve at Evergreen,” said President George Bridges. “Our military veterans, first-generation students, returning adults and non-traditional students often face great challenges in attending college. This budget supports important scholarships and helps fund the essential programs, people and facilities needed to prepare students to excel after graduation and beyond.”

The Washington Promise Scholarship is a foundation for the success of many Evergreen students, 55 percent of whom identify as low-income.  In addition, the governor’s proposed budget funds enhancements and student support, critical to student success initiatives. Evergreen’s budget proposal would dedicate that funding to expand the number of students participating in pre-college immersion programs and for implementation of an integrated planning and advising student success (iPASS) program.

This budget also fully funds Evergreen’s top two capital budget priorities, which include a badly needed new Health & Wellness Center, and seismic/HVAC renovation of the fifty-year-old buildings housing the college’s noted science laboratories.

“I am looking forward to continuing our close cooperation with state legislators as they begin drafting their budgets this January,” said Bridges.  “We want to make sure all students in Washington have a chance to get a higher education that prepares them not only for their first career, but for the many new careers coming in the future. Investment in higher education will be essential to creating this social and economic opportunity.”