Kerry Gugliotto
Headline:
Legislators Address Budget Concerns
Summary:
Higher education will not be spared from the coming state budget cuts, Rep. Joe Schmick said on Tuesday night in the Honors Hall Lounge.
Legislative District 9 Reps. Susan Fagan, Schmick and Sen. Mark Schoesler spoke Tuesday to a crowd of about 45 people regarding budget shortfalls and other issues that will be in the legislature’s agenda this January.
“Until we get our economy turned around, higher education is always at risk,” Schoesler said.
Concerns about increased tuition came from both WSU students and Pullman residents at the meeting.
“I understand that times are difficult, but I’m hoping the budget does not cause our tuition to increase by a lot,” said Emily Tessier, a junior communication major and audience member.
The representatives responded to these concerns by saying they will know more after Gov. Chris Gregoire releases a proposal budget in mid-December.
Audience member, Celena Canode, a senior political science major said she came to the event because she was interested to hear about the state level budget problems.
“The legislative is in a difficult situation, but I would like to not see a raise in taxes on the services we expect and need,” she said.
The proposed budget will be a “shocker,” Schoesler said. He expects it to be vague and assume revenue. The state budget is projected to be more than $2 billion in the red, he said.
After the last session “tanked,” there were warnings that the current budget mess would come so it should not be any surprise, Schoesler said.
Prioritizing spending by making more cuts, not increasing taxes and creating more jobs was the representatives’ theme as they each spoke about the current budget shortfall.
“In my observation, close observation, of regulations in the last 10 years, we are spending more money than we have,” Fagan said. “State revenues have gone up, but so has spending. This makes prioritizing our money (as) one way to start fixing the budget shortfall.”
While making the budget, 70 percent of it is protected, but the other 30 percent will be looked at for cuts, Schoesler said.
Some of the cuts are expected to be made from disabilities services, prisons, economic support for low-income families, basic education, state-funded environmental, natural resource protection and higher education.
Schmick said he believes that to improve the economy, more jobs need to be created, people need to get employed and then they need to spend money.
“It sounds simple, but we struggle in this area to keep our businesses,” he said.
Fagan agreed by saying the Boeing Company and a lot of equally important smaller businesses are leaving the state of Washington, causing a lack of jobs.
“When you graduate, we want to make sure you have job opportunities,” she said.
For students to leave WSU with the potential of a career, residents need to support businesses, making the economy the No. 1 priority, Fagan said. One way to do this is to focus on the private sector.
Fagan said she will focus on this as she gets started as a representative.
“I do have a lot to learn, but I am very eager to take on the challenges that lie ahead,” she said.
Related web sites:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Results.aspx?District=09
http://www.governor.wa.gov/priorities/budget/default.asp
This article was written by Kerry Gugliotto,
kerbear732@yahoo.com
Contacts:
Celena Canode
calenacanode@gmail.com
(360) 286–3073
Emily Tessier
(425) 213-8186
Mark Schoesler
(360) 786-7620
Susan Fagan
(360) 786-7942
Joe Schmick
(360) 786-7844
Schmick.joe@leg.wa.gov
Three questions for the speakers:
1. How will the budget cuts effect WSU students? (Tuition increase? By how much?)
2. What areas of the budget do you think should be cut and which areas should not be? Why?
3. Besides the budget shortfall, what other issues will be salient in the upcoming legislative session?
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