LOCKE PROPOSES 11 PERCENT
NET INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR WSU, WITHOUT CHANGE TO INITIATIVE
601
Details of an operating budget
proposal that would increase 1997-99 Washington State University
funding by about $49.4 million over this current biennium and
raise tuition 4 percent per year were released today by Gov. Gary
Locke. The larger budget is primarily spent by adding students
at all WSU campuses and salary increases. If adopted by the Legislature,
the 11 percent net increase proposed by Locke would make it one
of the best four budgets for WSU in the last 20 years. But the
Locke budget nevertheless contains some cuts to existing WSU programs
and provides new "accountability" funding mechanisms
for learning and technology programs.
- Some cuts to existing
programs. Unlike
former Gov. Lowry, Locke made no changes to Initiative 601 spending
limits. Locke accomplished this with cuts to existing programs.
He made less cuts to education relative to other state agencies.
His budget calls for reductions at WSU equal to 2 percent of
non-instructional budgets, well below the 5 percent budget exercise
he applied to some other state agencies. Like Gov. Lowry, he
provided no inflationary increases for programs. Even staying
within 601 limits, the Locke budget for WSU still finishes ahead
of Lowry's. Locke recommends a $466.2 million WSU budget, compared
to the $464.4 million recommended by former Gov. Lowry.
- Total proposed Locke
funding for WSU enrollments is $8.8 million, compared to $6.5
million recommended by Lowry.
For the Pullman campus,
Gov. Locke proposes 540 new student FTEs for Fall, 1998, compared
to the 446 new students recommended by former Gov. Lowry. Neither
Locke nor Lowry recommended any enrollment increases for Pullman
for Fall '97 as that campus is currently under-enrolled by about
500 students after being over-enrolled by 600 students last year.
The Locke budget would set funded enrollments for Pullman at
17,943 by 1998-99.
For WSU Vancouver,
Gov Locke proposes 234 new student FTEs for the next biennium,
64 for the coming academic year and another 170 in 1998-99. The
Locke budget would boost contract enrollment at Vancouver to 1,085.
The 234 new FTEs compares to 193 recommended by former Gov. Lowry
with none in the first year. WSU and the HEC Board requested
350 for Vancouver.
For WSU Tri-Cities,
Gov. Locke proposes 116 new student FTEs for the next biennium,
32 this fall and 84 in the following year. The 116 FTEs compares
to 96 recommended by former Gov. Lowry, who provided no enrollment
increases this fall. WSU and the HEC Board requested 175 for
Tri-Cities. Funded enrollments at Tri-Cities would reach 840
next biennium under the Locke proposal.
For WSU Spokane,
Gov. Locke provides 86 new enrollments for graduate and professional
programs, 23 this fall and 63 in the following year. The 86 new
FTEs compares to 71 recommended by Gov. Lowry, all in the second
year. The HEC Board and WSU requested 130.
- State Employee "Cost
of Living" Salary Increases of 2.5 percent on July 1, 1997
and another 2.5 percent on July 1, 1998.
All state employees will receive
this cost-of-living adjustment which amounts to $12.4 million
of the $49.4 million in new funding for WSU proposed in the Locke
budget. Lowry recommended similar increases of 2.5 percent and
2.7 percent.
- $750,000 for Retention
of WSU Faculty.
Like Lowry, Locke provided this funding that will help a small
select group of WSU faculty. For example, it could provide
increases averaging 3.5 percent for one-tenth of all WSU faculty
and administrative professionals.
- $3.4 million Quality
Improvement Pool that Could Be Used for Salaries. If
it was used for salaries, it could provide merit increases for
an amount equal to a 2.2 percent salary increase for all instructional
and research faculty. Release of these funds would be
tied to acceptance by the Higher Education Coordinating Board
of an "accountability plan" submitted by WSU.
- Uncertainty over Learning
& Technology Initiatives, Community "Learning Centers."
The Locke budget provides unprecedented authority to the state
Higher Education Coordinating Board over funding for new programs
that would make the Board the approving agency for spending money
on initiatives like WSU Learning Centers and "Virtual WSU,"
the program that would re-design classes to provide for more multi-media
classrooms. So while there may be adequate funding in the Locke
budget for these initiatives, the university can not say with
certainty whether they are "funded." Such programs
might eventually be funded with $1.8 million proposed to be cut
from existing WSU programs. Locke puts the $1.8 million, representing
60 percent of WSU's non-instructional budget, into a $13 million
pool collected from cuts at all universities, and allows the institutions
to competitively bid for funding new programs with the HEC Board.
Gov. Lowry expressly recommended $7.4 million for WSU for Learning
& Technology initiatives and $1.5 million for Learning Centers
without requiring approval of the Higher Education Coordinating
Board.
