The night before Thanksgiving, I held my newborn granddaughter—my family’s investment in the future— and remembered something my mother often said to me: “Never sacrifice your future for your present.”
As a grand-mother and University of Washington Tacoma student, I’ve considered her words and believe that cutting state support for higher education would disregard that sage advice.
Our state is facing a $2 billion budget shortfall, which demands more spending cuts. Higher education is once again on the chopping block. Sunday’s News Tribune editorial supports a proposed sales tax increase as a way to avoid some of these to higher education. It’s an argument that I can stand behind; we must take action today to protect the future of our public colleges and universities.
For too many in our state, the dream of a college education has already vanished as the cost of tuition has skyrocketed. At the UW, tuition has more than doubled over the last decade, as state funding has been cut in half. With an increasing share of costs shifted to students, the average Washington senior now graduates with student loans of more than $22,000.
Community college budgets haven’t been spared either: At Tacoma Community College, classes are overflowing as it tries to do more with less. Entire programs have been dropped, and many students have a difficult time finding the courses they need. Without a well-funded system of higher education, the future will find us with fewer qualified Washingtonians prepared to fill a growing number of specialized jobs.
Declining support for higher education also harms our competitiveness in the global marketplace. Today, 30 percent of Washingtonians have a post-secondary degree, but according to a 2011 Georgetown University report, about two-thirds of the state’s jobs will require some sort of college degree within six years. Our “production” of citizens with the knowledge and skills to compete for these jobs must increase, or those jobs will go to those outside of the state.
A well-funded system of higher education brings us other benefits as well. In addition to preparing students for future jobs, our public colleges and universities also provide revenue to the state. According to a 2010 report, “The Economic and Societal Impact of the University of Washington,” each state dollar invested in the UW returns more than $1.48 in taxes to the state and generates more than $22 in revenue to the state as a whole, for an annual economic impact of more than $9.1 billion.
Even in our current economy, higher education provides jobs – and better-paying jobs – resulting in lower public expenditures for unemployment insurance and criminal justice. It’s clear that we need the economic benefits that our educational system provides as much as we need the skills it offers.
The question remains, though: In the midst of this budget crisis, how can we spend what we haven’t got?
Gov. Chris Gregoire has suggested a temporary half-cent increase in the state sales tax to cushion the blow of further cuts, including those to higher education. Although no one likes the idea of higher taxes, this simple solution adds just five cents to the cost of a $10 purchase, yet would bring in nearly $500 million a year through 2013. While it might seem tough today, this tax is really an investment in the future to which higher education holds the key.
Our state legislators have tough decisions ahead. More cuts are inevitable. However, it is vitally important for all of us that we don’t sacrifice our future to ease the pain today. The TNT supports a public vote for this tax, and I second it. We must let our representatives know that we stand together in backing higher education, and a this temporary sales tax is a good way to begin.
My granddaughter is counting on us.
Margaret Lundberg is majoring in politics, philosophy and economics at the University of Washington Tacoma. Her granddaughter, Felíz Jennifer, was born the night before Thanksgiving. Email her at margal3@uw.edu.
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