RENTON — One year ago, Renton Technical College’s Board of Trustees declared a financial emergency, a designation that provides sufficient cause for a reduction in workforce and allows the elimination of instructional, student services, or library programs. To date, about 16 active employees have been separated, including tenured faculty — an unusual occurrence because tenure is designed to protect faculty from involuntary job loss.
A statewide budget error becomes a local crisis
In fall 2024, Washington’s Office of Financial Management announced an error in how maintenance-level funding had been distributed across the state’s community and technical colleges. For RTC, the correction was significant. Administrators told trustees the recalculation could leave the college without about $800,000 in expected funding for the 2025–26 year, stating, “The Office of Financial Management (OFM) claw back is likely to happen this fiscal year, which will create an additional $800k shortfall.”
A “clawback” was a fear shared across community and technical colleges, meaning the college might have to return funds it had already budgeted and spent, compounding financial pressures.
“Faculty must receive notification a quarter in advance, which is why this information is coming to the Board at this time,” RTC leadership shared. And although RTC was “$2.6M in reserve funds over the reserve policy,” the Board voted unanimously on Dec. 11, 2024, to declare a financial emergency.
Reductions
The declaration set in motion a year of restructuring.
RTC created a $10,000 early-retirement incentive, which several tenured faculty accepted. Others — including long-serving instructors and staff — were “RIFed,” also known as laid off due to a “reduction in force.”
Records show the following positions were affected:
Administrative leadership
- 3 dean positions eliminated or separated
Classified and exempt staff
- 6 positions eliminated or separated
- Some staff saw reduced hours
Tenured faculty
- 4 tenured faculty laid off under emergency authority
- 3 tenured faculty who took early retirement
Instructional vacancies
- Several open faculty positions were removed from the budget
In total, about 16 active employees were impacted — a significant reorganization for a college of RTC’s size.
At the March 2025 board meeting, when trustees voted to lay off faculty, students showed up to defend their programs. One praised RTC’s applied baccalaureate degree in Computer Networking Engineering as a pathway into “a growing field.” Another student described earning all A’s and receiving multiple scholarships, crediting instructors for helping them restart their career.
Those stories created a tension at the heart of the year: even as RTC worked to save money, programs that helped students climb into high-demand industries were among the ones under scrutiny.
Employees grow uneasy as the emergency lingers
By late 2025, the emergency had been in place for nearly a year.
At the September 2025 board meeting, the Renton Federation of Teachers (RFT) asked about the state of emergency and pushed for it to end. The “chilling effect,” RFT said, is worse on those with little protection, leading to an unwillingness to participate in certain projects due to fear of retaliation. To explain, a “chilling effect” refers to when vague rules, surveillance, or the threat of punishment discourage people from exercising their rights, leading to self-censorship even when their speech would otherwise be protected.
When asked, RTC’s Assistant Attorney General responded that he would need to research how long a state of emergency could remain in place, but noted that as long as the conditions that necessitated the declaration still exist, it can legally persist.
A month later, in October 2025, RFT reinforced its position, telling trustees that ending the financial emergency remained its top priority. Trustee Zappone stated that he appreciated the opportunity to begin the labor–management relationship in a positive and forthright way and that he believes in working folks getting their due. He emphasized that labor–management collaboration is important because it is the start of something promising.
One year later: the emergency is still in effect
The Board’s November 2025 packet included a “State of Emergency Update,” but offered no motion to end or modify the designation. The college has not announced when the declaration will be reviewed again. For now, RTC remains in a rare state: operating under special authority while working to stabilize its budget.
December 2024 Board of Trustees Minutes
March 2025 Board of Trustees Minutes
September 2025 Board of Trustees Minutes
THE SOUTH KING COUNTY RECORD 
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