BUDGET Preserve funding for higher education — the most important investment we can make for those who live and work in the Puget Sound Region.
JOBS Invest in higher education to bridge the skills gap between employers’ needs and a well-prepared workforce. As we emerge from the recession, the state’s economy will be different than it was before. Therefore, we need to —
CAPITAL Continue to invest in the capital budget projects that benefit students and create job opportunities. The following three Seattle projects are important to regional economies by addressing job shortages in international trade, health care and engineering.
… to create a state-of-the-art Health Care Education & Science facility, allowing the college to train more health care workers and STEM majors, and allow upgrading of the Electronics program area to prepare more graduates for aerospace electronics professions. The design phase is complete and the project is “shovel-ready.” Not funding this project could result in a lapse in the design process and cost the state more money in the future. Projected Cost: $23.3 million
… will replace aging existing Cascade Court facilities with a new 59,000 sq ft Integrated Education Center that integrates Nursing, Adult Basic Education and ESL programs with classrooms, computer labs, collaborative office space and nursing labs in the same facility. Co-location will increase the efficacy of V-ESL, I-BEST and Nursing NAC-LPN-RN ladder to better serve ethnic minority students and those with beginning English skills. This project will have the capacity to accommodate an additional 140 FTEs, and replaces severely inadequate space with optimal configuration and technology for student and career success. Projected Cost: $2.67 million
… to replace two portable training areas, storage shed, and former barge program space with a single 27,500 gross square foot (GSF) building and a new covered boat and site storage area at the east end of the site. The project also includes a minor addition (1,800 GSF) and renovation (5,400 GSF) of the existing Marine Technology Building.
The new facilities will house nine labs suitable for current maritime training activities and five general-use classrooms and/or computer labs. In addition, the project will update instruction with modern GPS and other state-of-the-art technology including 360-degree Global Maritime Distress & Safety System (GMDSS) simulation rooms (for bridge, radar, and engine) necessary to ensure the continued success of the SMA’s quality programs, and its ability to meet Coast Guard-mandated license and certification requirements. Projected Cost: $17.58 million