{"id":8183,"date":"2026-01-30T16:38:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T00:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/nobles\/?p=8183"},"modified":"2026-02-05T09:43:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T17:43:22","slug":"higher-education-chairs-call-for-protecting-college-affordability-student-aid-in-state-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/nobles\/2026\/01\/30\/higher-education-chairs-call-for-protecting-college-affordability-student-aid-in-state-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"Higher education chairs call for protecting college affordability, student aid in state budget"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">OLYMPIA \u2014\u00a0The chairs of the Legislature\u2019s higher education committees are calling for continued protection of college affordability, financial aid, and workforce training investments as lawmakers\u00a0finalize\u00a0state budget decisions.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sen.\u00a0T\u2019wina\u00a0Nobles (D-Fircrest), chair of the Senate Higher Education &amp; Workforce Development Committee, and Rep. Dave Paul (D-Oak\u00a0Harbor), chair of the House Postsecondary Education &amp; Workforce Committee, are highlighting the\u00a0Washington State Legislative\u00a0Higher Education Caucus budget priorities focused on student access, affordability, and program stability.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The caucus priorities call for: protecting and restoring financial aid for college and workforce training; preventing further reductions to higher education programs and student support services; and preserving dedicated Workforce Education Investment Act funding for its intended higher education and workforce purposes.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Higher education and workforce programs serve students statewide, including recent high school graduates, working adults, veterans, and apprentices seeking credentials tied to high-demand fields. State financial aid and workforce investments are designed to improve access, support completion, and align training with employer needs.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Since 2017, the Legislature has capped annual tuition growth at 3.3%, a policy intended to provide predictability and help keep public college tuition within reach for students and families.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cState financial aid, stable tuition policy, and workforce training investments work together to keep postsecondary education accessible,\u201d Nobles said. \u201cWhen those pieces are in place, more students enroll, persist, and complete credentials that connect directly to Washington jobs.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lawmakers are weighing budget options during a period of continued cost pressure for households and uncertainty around several federal support programs affecting student basic needs, including health care, housing, and food\u00a0assistance.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cHigher education funding decisions have direct, measurable effects on enrollment, completion, and workforce supply,\u201d Paul said. \u201cProtecting financial aid and dedicated workforce funding helps ensure students can finish their programs and employers can find qualified workers.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nobles and Paul encourage residents, educators, students, and employers to share input with their legislators regarding higher education affordability and workforce training priorities as budget discussions continue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>To view the bipartisan letter sent to legislative budget leaders, click <a href=\"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/nobles\/2026\/01\/30\/higher-education-chairs-call-for-protecting-college-affordability-student-aid-in-state-budget\/noblespaul_higheredletter\/\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OLYMPIA \u2014\u00a0The chairs of the Legislature\u2019s higher education committees are calling for continued protection of college affordability, financial aid, and workforce training investments as lawmakers\u00a0finalize\u00a0state budget decisions.\u00a0 Sen.\u00a0T\u2019wina\u00a0Nobles (D-Fircrest), chair of the Senate Higher Education &amp; Workforce Development Committee, and Rep. Dave Paul (D-Oak\u00a0Harbor), chair of the House Postsecondary Education &amp; Workforce Committee, are highlighting the\u00a0Washington State Legislative\u00a0Higher Education Caucus budget priorities focused on student access, affordability, and program stability.\u00a0 The caucus priorities call for: protecting and restoring financial aid for college and workforce training; preventing further reductions to higher education programs and student support services; and preserving dedicated Workforce&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":8185,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-release"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Higher education chairs call for protecting college affordability, student aid in state budget - Sen. T\u2019wina Nobles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/nobles\/2026\/01\/30\/higher-education-chairs-call-for-protecting-college-affordability-student-aid-in-state-budget\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Higher education chairs call for protecting college affordability, student aid in state budget - Sen. T\u2019wina Nobles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"OLYMPIA \u2014\u00a0The chairs of the Legislature\u2019s higher education committees are calling for continued protection of college affordability, financial aid, and workforce training investments as lawmakers\u00a0finalize\u00a0state budget decisions.\u00a0 Sen.\u00a0T\u2019wina\u00a0Nobles (D-Fircrest), chair of the Senate Higher Education &amp; Workforce Development Committee, and Rep. Dave Paul (D-Oak\u00a0Harbor), chair of the House Postsecondary Education &amp; Workforce Committee, are highlighting the\u00a0Washington State Legislative\u00a0Higher Education Caucus budget priorities focused on student access, affordability, and program stability.\u00a0 The caucus priorities call for: protecting and restoring financial aid for college and workforce training; preventing further reductions to higher education programs and student support services; and preserving dedicated Workforce...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/nobles\/2026\/01\/30\/higher-education-chairs-call-for-protecting-college-affordability-student-aid-in-state-budget\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sen. 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