The Tacoma News Tribune published an editorial Thursday calling on lawmakers to continue the support for higher education they began last session by not cutting the state’s institutions further and freezing tuition rates for students and their families. The News Tribune highlighted the direct impact support for higher education has in bolstering Washington’s economy.
Reporting recent key findings from the Washington Student Achievement Council, the editorial notes Washington employers are looking out of state to fill high-wage jobs because Washingtonians don’t have the required education.
“Between 2009 and 2011, companies were importing more than 6,000 out-of-staters a year with four-year or graduate degrees. The need for computer science and engineering degrees is particularly acute,” the editorial board wrote.
The editorial notes the important investment the Supreme Court has mandated the Legislature make to fully fund basic education, but the News Tribune stresses the economy’s demand for a more higher educated workforce, qualified to fill the jobs Washington industry needs.
The Legislature today wraps up day 11 of the 60-day session in a supplemental budget year, where budget writers will consider amendments to the 2013-2015 biennial budget they passed last year.