WA stimulus package - $364m for education buildings

In this time of budget crisis, all American politicians have unified around the simple creed: we must build things. We could debate the macroeconomic merit of such a creed, but educational institutions across the nation will definitely benefit from the consensus. As with state education budget cuts, educational building priorities will reveal the relative importance each state places on CC education.

The Emissary believes that investing in community colleges is essential, particularly during the current economic crisis. Philosophers are great, but America most needs 21st-century skills: principally technology, 'green', computer, and health care skills. Those skills are most efficiently gained at community colleges.

WA Gov. Gregoire proposed a deluge of spending (about $1.2 billion) for construction, infrastructure, and unemployment insurance. Higher education received the lion's share of the construction money ($364m or 85%). Virtually all the money went to classroom buildings.

Some breakdown of the governor's proposal.

Community colleges hold their own
WA CCs won 38% of all new construction money, or $140m. That was slightly less than the $142m won by WSU and UW (39%), but way more than the $82m won by regional universities.

Project size and college type
Research universities won just three projects, but the average project tops $47m (compared to $20m and $14m for CC and regional projects, respectively). The largest project was UW's Molecular Engineering building ($69.6m). The smallest research university project was larger than the largest CC project (Spokane CC's $32.3 Tech Ed building)

Winners and losers
The UW system was the largest single recipient of funds, with $104m in projects, followed by the CC district of Spokane ($66.4m). Only 5 of the WA's 34 CCs won any money at all (both Green River and Columbia Basin snagged big projects; Everett won $2m for "infrastructure"). Evergreen State was the only 4-year not to win any projects, though WSU main Pullman campus didn't either (WSU Vancouver did). EWU Cheney won just $6.4m in "Minor Works". The Westside received 37% of the funding, the Eastside won 37%.

Close to home
My colleges - CCs of Spokane - did particularly well, earning 23% of all funds designated for high ed, and 61% of the community colleges pie. CCS has designated vast energies to winning new buildings and has been remarkably successful. Sasquatch nation is pleased.

Unless otherwise mentioned, percentages refer to the percent of construction money designated for higher education.