AFT Higher Education

February 8, 2016 | Washington News Service | Chris Thomas, Producer

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Almost half the college courses in Washington are taught by part-time instructors at less pay than full-timers and with no benefits. Legislation in Olympia aims to change that in the state's busy community and technical college system. House Bill 2615 outlines a plan to convert 200 teaching positions every two years from part-time to full-time. [more]

“Washington’s tax system is the most regressive in the nation, placing a disproportionate burden on those with the lowest incomes.” – TIME Magazine

January 13, 2015 | Washington News Service | Chris Thomas, Producer

SHORELINE, Wash. - It's still just an idea, but President Obama's mention of a plan to allow students to attend community college free for two years, providing they keep their grades up, is getting thumbs up from some Washington educators. Tuition at the state's community and technical colleges has risen 38 percent in the last six years. The price tag for Obama's national proposal is $60 billion over a ten-year period, and states would be required to fund one-fourth of the program. - See more at: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2015-01-13/education/free-community-college-would-it-could-it-should-it-work-in-washington/a43968-1#sthash.qCJ9j6v8.dpuf

Feb. 21, 2014 | Crosscut.com | Guest Opinion by Karen Strickland and Michael Boggess

If you or someone you know has taken a class at one of Washington's community and technical colleges, there is a 50-50 change that the instructor was a part-time faculty member. For decades, higher education institutions across the country have increasingly hired part-time, adjunct or contingent faculty to reach, primarily because of shrinking state funding. [full article]

Feb. 21, 2014 | USA TODAY | Alex Koma, Collegiate Correspondent

The "Pay it Forward" program may change the way students pay for their college education. A bill making its way through Washington state's House of Representatives has the potential to change the way students pay for college. . . . "The program is addressing a problem we all agree exists, but the problems outweight the benefits," says Karen Strickland, president of the Washington chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, . . . ." [full article]

February 16, 2014 | Lisa Baumann

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Students in Washington state could be among the first to go to college without having to worry about paying tuition up front. Instead, under a bill proposed in the House, they'd pay after leaving school in the form of a small, fixed percentage of their future income for up to 25 years. . . . The idea of former students paying as long as 25 years is just one piece of the bill that bothers Karen Strickland, president of AFT Washington, a state federation affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO. [full article]

Seattle Times Education Blog | by Katherine Long, reporter | Nov. 22 with update on Nov. 23

More than 150 Green River Community College faculty members presented a petition to the college’s board of trustees Thursday asking that an increase in state funding be put toward a boost in faculty salaries, particularly for adjunct faculty. [read full story]

It just got easier to lay off full-time faculty members in Washington State, thanks to a declaration of financial emergency last month by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. But some faculty leaders say the board’s move is more about a power grab than saving money.

Either way, faculty members are worried about the possibility of layoffs. And some observers say other cash-strapped states could try similar maneuvers. [Read full article]