March 8, 2024\u2014The legislature approved the state\u2019s 2024 supplemental operating and capital budgets on the last day of session, March 7. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Evergreen, highlights in the operating budget include $233,000 to pilot the \u201cShelton Promise\u201d scholarship program, $18,000 to help pay for a counselor assisting students in meeting basic needs, $97,000 to fund student opioid education\/prevention and $42,000 to help incarcerated students access financial aid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The capital budget will allow the college to borrow $4.4 million at advantageous state rates. This will allow Evergreen to renovate and bring two dorm buildings online to house growing student numbers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Washington operates on a biennial budget, and supplemental budgets are essentially a \u2018top-up\u2019 to the regular sessions. With uncertainty over statewide initiatives which could drain expected budget revenue if they succeed at the polls, lawmakers were generally cautious about spending. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to budgets, legislators passed some important bills that will help students. SB 5904<\/a> extends Washington College Grant eligibility to match Pell Grant eligibility. HB 2214<\/a> makes students receiving state food aid automatically eligible for the Washington College Grant. HB 2112<\/a> will require campuses to provide student opioid-use prevention education. HB 2004<\/a> guarantees student veterans and their families a right to early class registration, a preference Evergreen already grants those students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Awaiting the governor’s signature is SB 5953<\/a>, a bill that smooths the way for incarcerated students to access federal financial aid. Evergreen’s prison education staff worked with Government Relations Director Sandy Kaiser on this legislation in the House, and Kaiser testified in favor of both Senate and House versions. The bill addresses concerns from the Department of Corrections over tuition costs and even provides funding for financial aid counseling for these students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Members of the Evergreen Board of Trustees are gubernatorial appointees who must be confirmed in a roll-call vote by the state Senate. The chamber completed that task on the last day of the session. Trustees Allyson Brooks, Pam MacEwan, Miguel P\u00e9rez-Gibson, Kristopher Peters, Ed Zuckerman and student trustee Onya Robertson are now officially confirmed in their roles on Evergreen\u2019s governing board. Board Chair Karen Fraser and Trustee Fred Goldberg were confirmed in the 2023 legislative session. <\/p>\n\n\n\n More than a dozen legislators have announced their retirements over the last few weeks. These include Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig (D-Spokane). Others such as Senate capital budget leader Mark Mullet (D-Issaquah) are running for governor or other elected positions. As these seasoned lawmakers depart the scene, there will be opportunities for new leaders to step forward as stewards of public higher education and state resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At Evergreen, our legislative priority will now be to reach out to these new leaders as they are chosen, and ensure they are aware of the power and value of an Evergreen education. We will begin to plan for the 2025 session, with the goal of improving our service to students, expanding access to higher education and strengthening all aspects of Evergreen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n March 8, 2024\u2014The legislature approved the state\u2019s 2024 supplemental operating and capital budgets on the last day of session, March 7. For Evergreen, highlights in the operating budget include $233,000 to pilot the \u201cShelton Promise\u201d scholarship program, $18,000 to help… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5116,"featured_media":102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[3,7,6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/evergreenleg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/evergreenleg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/evergreenleg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/evergreenleg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/evergreenleg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/evergreenleg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/evergreenleg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92\/revisions\/114"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/evergreenleg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/evergreenleg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/evergreenleg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/evergreenleg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}