Nearly $5 million in CARES Act funding to colleges; GHC included

The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges awarded nearly $5 million in federal CARES Act dollars to community and technical colleges across the state as they work to restore workforce-related programs affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The one-time grants come from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds provided by the CARES Act. 

Workforce programs, in which 48% of the community and technical college system’s approximately 356,000 students were enrolled in the 2019-20 school year, were significantly disrupted in spring quarter by the COVID-19 pandemic and measures to stop its spread. These programs require a hands-on component, so measures like physical distancing and lab and classroom capacity impacted the number of students who could participate at any one time. The GEER grant is intended to help colleges as they find new and different ways to provide instruction so students can complete their programs and enter the job market ready for what employers need.

“There’s no question the pandemic has impacted our students and our colleges. Faculty and staff continue to look for innovative ways to teach our students, and these GEER grants will go a long way in that effort,” said Jan Yoshiwara, executive director of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. “These are the programs that will help get Washington state’s economy back on track. We thank Gov. Inslee for awarding the college system this funding.” 

The colleges and the amount awarded are:

• Bates Technical College: $130,689
• Bellevue College: $199,154
• Bellingham Technical College: $200,000
• Big Bend Community College: $94,000
• Centralia College: $50,000
• Clark College: $195,820
• Clover Park Technical College: $200,000
• Columbia Basin College: $200,000
• Edmonds College: $160,000
• Everett Community College: $200,000
• Grays Harbor College: $197,700
• Green River College: $199,932
• Highline College: $128,834
• Lake Washington Institute of Technology: $200,000
• Lower Columbia College: $170,796
• North Seattle College: $56,668
• Olympic College: $50,000
• Pierce College: $102,984
• Renton Technical College: $88,978
• Seattle Central College: $200,000
• Shoreline Community College: $180,900
• Skagit Valley College: $189,510
• South Puget Sound Community College: $190,837
• South Seattle College: $102,464
• Spokane Community College: $150,000
• Spokane Falls Community College: $195,498
• Tacoma Community College: $200,000
• Walla Walla Community College: $138,411
• Wenatchee Valley College: $199,482
• Whatcom Community College: $177,346
• Yakima Valley College: $199,997