Washblog

The Budget Cuts Education, Health Care, & Human Services--What's Left?

I am distressed by what the current economy and more specifically the recently passed state budget are doing to our children. Today my daughter called me from Pullman where she is attending Washington State University. She was in tears because her teachers had just informed her that her department (Theater & Dance) will be eliminated due to the cuts in state funding of higher education. The degree program into which she has invested two years of time and many thousands of dollars will no longer be offered, and she is so demoralized by the shock of this announcement that she wonders whether there is any reason even to continue attending her daily classes.

While some may argue that WSU is justified in cutting the humanities because it is a scientific research-based institution, it is nonetheless true that an education in the humanities must include the arts, theater and dance. Without them, any pretense at "world-class" education is a sham.

The theoretical, ethical and philosophical basis for a liberal arts education at the university level is to create a whole, universal, person. You cannot excise the liberal arts from the university curriculum without removing the foundation of what constitutes a university education.

On the Governor's web page, these words appear: "A crisis like this is a test of our basic values. We can't let tough times become an excuse for sacrificing the things that matter most to our families -- the safety of our communities, access to high-quality health care, and a world-class education for our children."

It seems to me from reviewing the budget that was just passed in the legislature that we have in fact done just that--we have sacrificed what matters most. 40,000 fewer people will have access to health care, class sizes will be larger across the state at all educational levels, and access to critical human services will be curtailed to those who need it most at a time when need is on the rise.

PLEASE WRITE TO GOVERNOR GREGIORE and urge her to call a special session of the legislature and to insist that they work even harder to avoid these devastating cuts. If it means that we must use the "rainy day fund," so be it. World-class economists agree: this is the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. How much more rain can we stand? If it means we must consider a progressive income tax (instead of the regressive sales tax we have), so be it. I'd rather pay more in taxes than watch our children fail.

< On Assessing Risk, Or, Swine Flu: Is It Time To Panic? | Oregonian Gary Randall's History of Manipulating Washington State Voters >
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with your plight and the plight of your daughter.

You quote from the governor's website. Unfortunately, she really doesn't mean what she says anymore. First she opposed the education "reform" bill, and then she inexplicably reversed position. First she indicated that she supported floating a bond issue, and then she inexplicably reversed position.

There has been talk about her running for a third term. I personally won't forget her sorry performance this session.

by DWE on Fri May 01, 2009 at 09:13:16 PM PST

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in Auburn--my hometown!

by DWE on Fri May 01, 2009 at 09:15:44 PM PST

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The cuts to higher education are truly horrible. Every college and university is struggling to find a way to preserve degree programs, and tuition generating classes and make cuts in the millions of dollars. The cuts go way beyond "belt-tightening.

Apparently in the house, the hostility toward higher education was surprising and distressing to each of the liaisons working hard to preserve as much funding as they could. To no avail. Higher education is a discretionary expenditure, and it will always suffer disproportionately in econdomic downturns.

These cuts are so severe, that higher education in Washington will not recover. It simply won't. As long as the legislature, both the House and the Senate, continue to concentrate on short term, continue to refuse to address the goofy tax structure and revenue issue in this state, we will have these problems forever. The Stimulus prevented the issue from being even worse, and that is one time, one year funding. If the revenue continues to plummet, it will come out of higher education even more.

You are absolutely correct that a good education is more than one type of degree program, one type of class. Liberal arts are critical to a well-educated, life-long learner. The complete experience of college, including work, co-curricular activities, cultural events and the arts are critical as well. The Washington Democrats have said loud and clear that they don't care about any of that and are happy to give us an education system worse than any other state in the country.

by lauraG on Sun May 03, 2009 at 09:14:07 PM PST

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