Running Start OK'd at Evergreen

Program for high school juniors, seniors won't begin for a year or more

BRAD SHANNON, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Friday, March 22, 2002

OLYMPIA -- Gov. Gary Locke signed a bill into law Thursday that lets The Evergreen State College set up Running Start enrollments for high school students.

However, students should not rush to enroll at the woodsy west Olympia campus. Evergreen will not start the program for at least a year, despite making it a priority in the Legislature this session.

"We have an implementation group that is looking very thoroughly at whether or not to recommend implementing Running Start," said Edie Harding, college spokeswoman and lobbyist. "We certainly won't be implementing it any time in the next year or possibly two, if we decide to go forward. ... We never planned to do it right away."

Harding and Evergreen President Les Purce testified in hearings in support of House Bill 2438, which Locke signed into law at his office. It was one of a couple of dozen bills Locke approved Thursday.

A higher priority for Evergreen is making budget cuts, which lawmakers ordered for virtually every state agency during the legislative session, which ended a week ago, Harding said.

Cost is not the issue in the decision, however.

How it works

The Running Start program, created in 1990, initially let high school juniors and seniors take college courses at 34 community colleges without having to pay tuition.

The program was expanded in 1994 to include three state colleges, including Washington State University. Nine percent of last year's juniors and seniors in high school statewide were enrolled in at least one Running Start class, according to data kept by legislative committees.

Some South Sound high school students graduate from high school and get an associate of arts college degree at the same time.

Running Start, now in its 12th year, had 13,442 students enrolled in the equivalent of 8,169 full-time slots last year.

Evergreen's request for authority to offer Running Start came after the faculty and Evergreen trustees voted to seek it, Harding said.

Reaching out

The college leaders now want to consider the question carefully to see if there is a way to creatively reach out to high school students, a few of whom already pay tuition to attend Evergreen.

"It just helps to have the permission in place," Harding said. "Then we know we can go forward and have a serious discussion on it."

High school students in Thurston County already attend Running Start classes at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia and Centralia College. Authorities with the Olympia, Tumwater and North Thurston school districts and at South Puget Sound Community College support the idea, Harding said.

A little more than a quarter of students who attend Evergreen straight from high school already have some Running Start credits.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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