OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – State lawmakers are considering a bill that would boost funding for Western Washington University amid its critical budget deficit.
HB 2070, which seeks to align state funding for Western with that of other regional schools, had a public hearing in Olympia on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
According to the bill, Western has received the lowest per-student funding in the state for most of the past 30 years.
The bill was proposed by 42nd District Rep. Joe Timmons, who says he’s seen the effects of the funding gap among his constituents.
“These are my neighbors who no longer receive the same educational opportunities that maybe they did before on campus and these are my neighbors that maybe don’t have a job anymore because of the cuts that our state has done,” Timmons said at the hearing.
If passed, the bill would require Western to receive enough funding that it matches the per-student funding next-lowest regional school.
Western is receiving several thousand less dollars per full-time equivalent student than both Central and Eastern Washington universities in the state’s 2026-27 biennium budget.
Timmons says it’s unclear from talking to budget writers why Western in particular has been historically underfunded compared to other schools.
According to WWU President Sabah Randhawa, the school was forced to reduce its operating budget by nearly $23 million last year, which had grave downstream effects .
“We had to cut deeply into administration, eliminating two divisions, and into student support services and other essential infrastructure that contribute directly to student retention and success,” Randhawa said at the hearing.
Thursday, Feb. 26 marks two weeks until the legislative session ends on March 12.
