Higher ed remains urgent state need

Washington’s public colleges fared well in the 2013 Legislature, in the sense that it feels good when someone stops beating you with a stick.

During the worst years of the economic downturn, lawmakers had repeatedly raided higher education budgets to fund other priorities. Last year, they did no further harm to the institutions. Students saw relief, too: They didn’t face what had become the customary big annual spike in tuition.