Dear Highline Staff and Faculty,
Recent developments at the federal level have raised concerns about the potential withdrawal of specific grant funding that we rely on for student services, programming, and salaries. We want to take a moment to address these concerns and reassure you where we stand as an institution.
Our commitment to fostering an educational environment and workplace that strives for social justice is unwavering. Our values have not changed. They are central to Highline College’s identity.
If the federal government halts our grant funding, we are at potential risk of losing approximately 5% of our college budget for the 2026 fiscal year (July 2025 – June 2026). To date, the Washington State Community and Technical College System (SBCTC) has not been directly impacted by pauses in federal funding. Executive Cabinet is proactively exploring alternative solutions to help mitigate the impact of potential funding cuts. This includes assessing our current resources to ensure continuity in our services and support of our community while also exploring alternative funding sources. While it is too early in the budgeting season to speak to what the 2026 academic year holds for us, we are confident in our ability to sustain funding for all employee positions and programs through June 30, 2025. Administrative Services will be sending information in the coming week about the 2025-26 budget planning calendar and the upcoming April budget forum.
We know that many of you may be distressed and concerned about the funding for your positions and the work that you support. Here’s how YOU can help:
If you receive notification from a grantor of a stop in funding:
- Immediately forward that notification to your respective Executive Cabinet member with a cc to Danielle Slota (dslota@highline.edu)
- Continue to report to work!
If you have questions, concerns, or ideas please don’t hesitate to contact us. We want to hear from you! We have created an input form that can be used to share information as we continue to navigate this changing landscape together.
JOINT INFORMATION CENTER (JIC) INPUT FORM
It is not lost on us that the hard work and dedication of our staff and faculty is one of our greatest assets as an institution of higher education. Thank you for all you do.
With gratitude,
John, Danielle, Rolita, Jamilyn, Maribel, Michael, Josh, Melanie, Tim
Highline College Executive Cabinet