Washington state budget shortfall could hit higher education hard - Ty Beaver, Tri-City Herald

State officials are already expecting a shortfall in the next budget and higher education could take a big hit. The state needs at least another $1 billion in additional revenue to meet most of the expected additional spending needs for the 2015-17 biennium, according to the Office of Financial Management. Community college and university officials have already been told, along with some other state agencies, to begin preparing budget requests that include as much as a 15 percent reduction ahead of Gov. Jay Inslee developing a proposed budget. It's too soon to say where those cuts will be, but higher education officials said it's a disheartening development coming only a year after the state had begun to better support their efforts. http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2014/06/13/3018971/washington-budget-shortfall-could.html