On Thursday, the Walla Walla Community College board of trustees voted 3-2 to adopt a motion to close its Clarkston campus in June 2028, with a teach-out period for existing students if the college does not succeed in developing new, significant and sustainable funding.
Trustee Tim Burt and Vice Chair Tara Leer voted against the motion. Chair Bill Warren, after a long pause following the other trustees’ split vote, joined Gustavo Reyna and Alejandra Davis in favor of the decision.
The motion, brought forward by Reyna, states that students will continue to be admitted into in-person, two-year programs through the fall of 2026. It also directs the college’s president to engage with community members, legislators and other stakeholders to explore other funding sources to sustain the college’s physical presence in Clarkston.
Reyna said the decision was painful, and said he knows any cuts will affect and be unfair to some families, students and staff members. Reyna said he also believes that continuing to run the Clarkston campus at a deficit would endanger the entire college’s ability to sustain itself.
“The tragedy is not lost to me, because I probably would not be here speaking to you had I not had that access (to affordable education),” he said.
