Review Rep. Loomis Wrap Newsletter

Liz Loomis is a Representative from the 44th district, my district, and one of the representative that I sent an email regarding the UW North Sound. While I did not agree with her response, I did appreciate that she took a few minutes out of her busy day to send me a reply (no, serious, I did appreciate it).

I just received her 2008 Session Wrap newsletter in the mail and was pleased with some of her comments on education.

We need to give more people the opportunity to earn a college degree. The state budget includes funding for 10,000 more spaces at our colleges and universities, including more spaces dedicated to high-demand degrees in math, science, engineering and health care.

But that doesn't fully address the reality of our workforce. One out of three high schoolers will drop out. Part of the problem is that we send students the message that a college degree is the only option to get a good paying job.

Only 25 percent of high school graduates will earn a college degree. We need to focus on the other 75 percent, especially now when our state has such a shortage in the skilled trades that we're forced to hire folks from other states.

Rep. Loomis is right on target with that second paragraph. We have dismissed and demeaned the value of high school, through our perverse preoccupation with the bachelor degree. One extremely passionate speaker on the value of the high school education is Dr. Susan Quatrrociocchi, or Dr. Q as she is known. I've had the pleasure of listening to her twice, most recently being this past Fall at the Everett school district advisory board kick-off meeting. Her analysis of the income data would seem to confirm Rep. Loomis' statements. If you have a Sno-Isle library account you can access the WOIS/The Career Information System database and see Dr. Q's reports including "The Earning Value of that High School Diploma".

At the same time, the demand in the skilled trades for educated people is growing. Part of the problem is the aging workforce but lack of interest in younger people is also a problem, as noted in this Herald article from last September. Again, Rep. Loomis' comments are on the mark and her support of apprenticeship programs is appreciated.

Unfortunately, not everything in the newsletter was quite as insightful as the above. On page 2 she writes:

It isn't just Microsoft and Boeing who worry about the shortage of skilled workers. Every small business owner I know says that they have a hard time getting people with the right skills and training. It's a problem with out higher education system which doesn't have enough space to train people in high demand fields.

Sorry Liz, I was with you until the last sentence. I know that several of the high-demand programs at the local community colleges are still struggling for enrollment and that UW Bothell is still below its allowable limit, regardless of the off-ramp status. The problem with high-demand STEM programs isn't that we are turning people away, but we can't get them to show up. Our focus must remain on encouraging participation and preparation by students in their middle school and high school years. Maybe then we can "build" more space.

Tags: Liz Loomis, Susan Quatrrociocchi, UW North Sound, STEM, UW Bothell, Edmonds CC, Everett CC

Is that sensible (edited for space)?

Well it appears that my proposed letter to the editor came in around 80 words too many (it was very nice of them to let me know and give me a chance to edit it). Instead of modifying the original post, I'm showing here as its own posting. Enjoy.

The UW North branch campus never made any sense and the last ditch attempt by representatives Dunshee and Sells to make the campus law, without funding, location or time table is laughable. How is this sensible (Sunday, March 9^th)?

We have 6 primary university campuses (plus many branch locations) serving the needs of traditional students yet we see dropout rates approaching 50% at some schools. Studies, including A Test of Leadership by the Secretary of Education, show that finances and preparation are 2 of our biggest barriers to college success, not geographic proximity. Further, we see that online and blended education models are booming, making place unimportant. Unless, of course, your goal is construction spending.

We can deliver post-secondary education in the tri-county area at a fraction of the cost of a new campus. I would ask local legislators to give up UW North and commit themselves to breaking down barriers to education in 2008. Go to Bellingham, Ellensburg and Cheney and talk to their Presidents. They offer several bachelor and master degree programs locally now, but find out how the legislature can help to expand them further. Find out how we can speed up articulation agreements and fund development of effective online coursework. Go to Everett CC's University Center for North Puget Sound and see what they need to expand. We have plenty of campuses, what we need now is to make the pieces of the system to work together.

Building a 1960's university won't benefit generations of Snohomish County citizens, but it will saddle them with a mountain of debt. We want increased education opportunity now, not a new campus 20 years from now.

I'm not familiar with that use of the term sensible

In their Sunday, March 9th editorial, the Herald's editors suggested that a new bill that would make it law that Snohomish county will get the next university campus is sensible (also noted in the UW's Capital Update). Here is my letter to the editor response:

The creation of the UW North branch campus never made any sense and the last ditch attempt by representatives Dunshee and Sells to make the campus law, without funding, location or time table is laughable. Only the Herald, who long ago signed on as the ad firm for the project, would characterize this as sensible (Sunday, March 9th).

We already have 6 campuses serving the needs of the traditional student population. Yet we are seeing dropout rates approaching 50% in our some of the universities. Studies, including A Test of Leadership by the Secretary of Education, show that costs and preparation are 2 of our biggest barriers to college success, not geographic proximity. UW North does nothing to address either. Further, we have learned that online and hybrid education models are booming, making place unimportant. Unless, of course, your goal is to bring home a bunch of construction spending to your district. You know, there is a reason why gluttony is a deadly sin.

Putting aside the polytechnic university for a moment (it has it own set of problems), we can deliver non-traditional, post-secondary educational experiences in the tri-county area at a fraction of the cost of a new campus. I would ask local legislators to give up UW North and commit themselves to breaking down barriers to education in 2008. Go to Bellingham, Ellensburg, Pullman and Cheney (put the purple and gold away, you're adults now) and talk to their Presidents. Ask them what the legislature can do to facilitate improvements in their offerings in our area. Ask about the Bachelor, Applied Bachelor and Masters programs already in place and what they hope to add. Find out how we can speed up articulation agreements and fund development of effective online coursework. Then come back to Everett CC and ask about the University Center for North Puget Sound and what they need to expand. We have all the buildings we need, what we need now are programs and funding.

Building a 1960's university won't benefit generations of Snohomish County citizens, but it will saddle them with a mountain of debt. It is time that we send a clear message to our legislators - we want increased education opportunity now, not a new campus 20 years from now. Join me at http://NoSnoU.blogspot.com and lets move this conversation forward.


I'll let you know if it gets published.