Due to a budget short fall, Washington lawmakers are considering cutting $14 million in funding to Running Start, the program which allows juniors and seniors in high school to take college courses for free.
According to the Community and Technical Colleges, the Washington State Board “Running Start” is a program that allows 11th and 12th grade students to take college courses at Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges. Students earn both high school and college credits for these courses. Running Start students and their families do not pay tuition, but they are responsible for mandatory fees, books, and transportation. Students receive both high school and college credit for these classes, which accelerates their progress through the education system.
Students who participate in Running Start can acquire a two-year associate’s degree by the time high school graduation rolls around.
In 2023, Washington State lawmakers raised the cap for the number of credits a student could earn each school year and the ability to take classes during the summer quarter. This change allowed students to make faster progress on their degrees and boosted participation in the program, with those students having a higher rate of completion for their Associates. The proposal for the budget cuts suggests eliminating the ability for students to take courses during the summer quarter and limiting the number of credits a student can earn.
This limitation would have negative effects on students in these programs. It would slow down the progress towards a degree students have worked hard for. According to Edmonds College President Amit Singh, “If you go to summer school, that means you are on a faster track to completion,” Singh said. “That means you complete early, you get a job early, you support your family earlier than otherwise.”
This slowed progress means students must pay more when they get to college and are unable to get a better, higher paying job sooner. This could have a devastating effect on families who depend on their children’s income, especially in areas that are already underfunded, where Running Start could mean the difference between a student getting to pursue higher education or not. This lack of work in their desired field also means they are losing experience that higher or better positions in their desired field requires.
This proposal is especially disturbing with the trend of cutting funding from K-12 education to fill the gap in the state budget. These cuts mean that students are losing out on resources and opportunities to better themselves and their future.
Sources:
Deng, Grace. “Running Start Summer Courses Available to WA’s Incoming Juniors
Washington State Standard.” Washington State Standard, 15 Apr. 2024,
washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/04/15/was-incoming-high-school-juniors-will-beallowed-to-enroll-in-college-courses-this-summer/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
“Running Start | SBCTC.” Www.sbctc.edu, www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/programsservices/running-start/default.aspx.
Wilkinson, Eric. “Potential Cuts to Washington’s Running Start Program Could Cost
Students Thousands.” King5.com, KING, 9 Mar. 2026,
www.king5.com/article/news/education/potential-cuts-washington-running-startprogram/281-ed3092e2-e4d2-4ca8-82ac-17fd57632bdd. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
Withycombe, Claire. ““A Tuition Hike in Disguise”: This WA Program Could Face Cuts.”
The Seattle Times, 27 Feb. 2026, www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/wadual-credit-program-could-face-cuts/.
