Bellevue College has faced significant budget shortfalls for the past two years. A series of Budget Town Halls were held where it was communicated that the impending enrollment cliff is a major concern for sustained funding, that Running Start students are our most profitable students, and that students who come to Bellevue early are more likely to return to Bellevue. 

The Board of Trustees then approved to cut the following programs, all of which seem counterproductive to our goals:

• The closure of our 60-year Parent Education program 
• The closure of our 60-year coop preschool program
• The closure of our Creative Arts Lab for students age 2-6
• The closure of our Family Inventors Lab for children ages 3-6
• The closure of our Science Discovery Lab for students ages 5-7
• The elimination of the Science and Math Institute (SAMI), our 20-year community STEM outreach
• The dissolution of the High School Programs office, which included the Running Start office

All of these programs may have helped our numbers in the future. 

In addition, all Program Managers for bachelor’s and selective admissions programs at Bellevue College were laid off and all support to prospective selective admissions students has stopped. There are no staff members responsible for and able to help prospective students, and staff members have not been trained or updated on how to serve these students. 

How is eliminating our outreach and support to young people going to help us battle the enrollment cliff? 

Morale is at a historic low at Bellevue College. Staff have never felt less stable, less secure, or less valued by the administration at Bellevue College. We know that to achieve student success, our faculty and staff must be supported. Providing top-tier student service is not possible when the helpers’ needs are not met. More of our staff are facing housing and food insecurity themselves, lacking necessary resources to show up for students in a meaningful way. 0% pay increases and 0% COLAs that do not match the 6% cost of living index do not promote staff retention. Bargaining with the Office of Financial Management is a poor use of BC funds. Staff have anxiety over unclear, shifting expectations and being penalized for a lack of systems resources. People have families to worry about, and they cannot be concerned about losing their livelihood over miscommunicated expectations from management.

Additionally, we are concerned about administrators having preconceived notions about how to create change, then dismissing Classified feedback when it diverges from their own expectations. Receiving feedback from Classified staff is only effective if the feedback is meaningfully incorporated into plans and there is real collaboration. When Classified staff are dismissed outright, collaboration is not possible.

WPEA Classified staff welcome Dr. Coon to Bellevue College. Please keep in mind that everything you’ve heard today is the “climate” you are walking into.

Dr. Coon, you are known for centering equity, social justice and student success. The Student Success Center at College of Marin was named in your honor. We hope you will use your short time here at Bellevue College to bring your transformative vision to our campus. Help our board and our President’s Cabinet understand that in order to fulfill their mission of student success they MUST invest in staff and faculty. Treat us as your greatest asset instead of a liability. You have the opportunity to be a hero and rally this administration to turn this ship around. We hope your time here leaves a lasting imprint. 

We encourage any WPEA-represented staff to get in touch with a steward at bellevueleadershipteam@wpea.org if you’re ready to become a member in good standing and vote on future contracts. If you’re interested in becoming a Steward, our next Steward Training is November 17th from 5:30-8:30pm; RSVP to Austin@WPEA.org. You can always visit WPEA.org to learn more. 

Thank you for your time.