DAVE PAUL: High School Students, Reducing College Costs, and More
Rep. Dave Paul (D-Oak Harbor) sent this email via his campaign email account (dave@votedavepaul.com) on Wed., May 26, 2021.
Dear Friends,
As we head into graduation season, I’d like to give you an update on our work to support high school students, reduce college costs, and improve mental health outcomes for young people.
As a Legislator, one of my top priorities is to strengthen dual-credit programs like Running Start, CTE Dual Credit, and College in the High School. These are proven, cost-effective programs that allow students to earn college credit will still in high school. All three programs help reduce the cost of college while helping students get to family-wage jobs sooner.
A quick update on one of my priority bills from the 2020 Session—HB 2864—will help families save hundreds of dollars in tuition this summer. For the first time, local students will be able to participate in Running Start over Summer Quarter. You can learn more about Running Start and this great pilot program in the Whidbey News Times and Skagit Valley Herald.
We also know that students of color and students from lower-income families are less likely to participate in programs like Running Start and College in the High School. This isn’t equitable, and I sponsored House Bill 1973 in 2019 to establish a pilot program to help needy students participate in Running Start and College in the High School.
This past year, both Skagit Valley College and Everett Community College received grants to help needy Running Start students pay for books and fees.
I’m proud to have sponsored HB 1973, and I’ll continue to work to find other creative and cost-effective policies to help students graduate faster and with less debt. Ensuring that every student in need can participate in Running Start and College in the High School will be one of my top legislative priorities for the 2022 session.
In addition, I’ve worked to better support Skills Centers—like the Northwest Career and Technical Academy in Mount Vernon—which provide high school students with engaging hand-on technical education and vocation training. This past session, I helped amend the Operating Budget to lower class sizes at Skills Centers. I’ll continue to champion Skills Centers and CTE Dual Credit in the next session.
Finally, we know of the importance of supporting the emotional well-being of young people. This past session, I collaborated with my colleagues to develop local programs aimed at reducing learning loss and improving access to mental health services for young people. I secured a $750,000 budget proviso for Island County to improve mental health outcomes for young people in our community. I’m excited to work with Island County on this important effort—and I’ll work with other counties this upcoming session to identify ways of supporting their programming.
As always, it is an honor to serve as your representative.
Sincerely,
Dave
