High school students in the Running Start program won’t be able to take as many tuition-free college classes when this year’s K-12 funding cuts take effect.
The program allows high school juniors and seniors students to enroll in free classes at all 34 community and technical colleges and a few 4-year colleges in Washington.
Families are responsible for books, fees, and transportation.
The number of tuition-free credits available to each Running Start student is calculated using a shared enrollment formula and varies based on how many classes they attend at their high school. The classes are dual-credit, meaning 11th and 12th graders can work toward their diploma and a college degree simultaneously. Some earn enough college credits to receive an associate degree or professional certificate by the time they graduate from high school.
One of the cuts state lawmakers made to address a budget deficit this year reduced Running Start funding by about $7 million, lowering the cap on tuition-free credits available to each student.
The summer term is expected to take a significant hit from the cutback because many students will have used up their available credits beforehand, according to Jamie Traugott, director of student services and K-12 alignment for the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. Traugott told TVW’s The Impact that summer classes have had the largest share of disadvantaged and minority students. She’s worried the reductions could widen opportunity gaps.
“What that means is possibly not graduating with their associate’s degree on time with their high school diploma,” said Traugott. “It could possibly mean that they don’t graduate high school on time or meet some of those prerequisites or it just puts them at a disadvantage of not being able to pay out of pocket, as maybe some of their peers that have that income availability.”
The Running Start cuts won’t impact this summer term, but take effect in September leading into the next school year, according to the SBCTC.
Timberline High School senior Matthew Mandig takes Running Start classes through South Puget Sound Community College and is on track to graduate before the cuts take effect. He credits the program with saving him the expense of switching majors later on.
“After taking a few classes, I decided that engineering was not for me,” said Mandig. “I was able to take three quarters of accounting and I just feel so much more ahead.”
It’s unclear how the cuts will impact Running Start student Olivia Tuttle, a River Ridge High School junior who doesn’t currently attend summer term, but is using the program at SPSCC to accelerate a future medical career.
“I think because I work and have dance, summer is a really nice time for me to take off of school, but I absolutely adore the option to get some credits out of the way,” said Tuttle. “The summer option is so beneficial to so many kids who have nothing else to do in the summer.”