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Day 140 of the 2001 Legislature, 2nd Legislative Special Session
From:
Larry Ganders, Assistant to the President, Washington State University;
925
Plum St. SE - Building 4, P.O. Box 43165
Olympia, WA 98504-3165
;
Senate Passes Best Salary Package of the Legislative Session
Compromise Holds Firm on 3.7 percent Faculty Increase This Year
In what may be a proposal for a final compromise legislative package for higher education salaries, the
Washington State Senate has supported an additional $1 million in salary increase base funding for Washington State University and has held firm on its position to increase university faculty salaries by an average of 3.7 percent this year.
Even though the Senate dropped funding for a recruitment and retention pool, this compromise is the best faculty and staff salary increase proposal that has surfaced so far in the legislative sessions.
The compromise is outlined in Substitute Senate Bill 6153, a second Senate budget bill revealed
Thursday and passed by the Senate in a
28-15 vote Friday. The Senate salary increase percentage for this year compares with just 3 percent recommended by the House and only 2.2 percent recommended by the governor.
However, the original Senate budget passed in March provided only about $15.5 million of the $20 million necessary to fund WSU's salary increases in the coming biennium. That translates to more than a $5.5 million hole in the university budget. This latest proposals plugs approximately half of that hole and does not exclude federal land grant employees. The compromise proposal will provide a 2.6 percent salary increases to faculty and staff in 2002, compared to 3.1 percent originally recommended by the Senate. That is the amount originally proposed by the House.
Washington State University has praised the latest salary proposal as a significant improvement. But the university urges legislators to consider funding the entire salary base or add monies for a recruitment and retention pool.
An amendment by Sen. Larry Sheahan, R-Spokane, to add recruitment and retention pool monies was defeated on a largely party-line vote in the Senate Ways and Means Committee Thursday.
Senate Revision Provides Option for Partial Student Recreation Center Funding
This week's $411 million revised Senate operating budget proposal for Washington State University offered little change in overall funding from previous versions of the House & Senate budget proposals but does offer the university flexibility to use new state monies to fund some operation and maintenance of the newly-opened Student Recreation Center.
The Senate's revised budget, which passed the Senate Ways and Means Committee Friday, contains $951,000 of funding which budget notes indicate "may be applied at local discretion to meet current instruction and student-related expenses or to help finance the start-up of new degree offerings next biennium."
It is the first budget in the 2001 Legislative Sessions that offers any funding source other than university budget cuts or student tuition increases to solve a $1.8 million hole in the university's operating budget required to maintain and provide utilities to Pullman's Student Recreation Center.
Lawmakers said they were unprepared to fund operation of a large building that was not built with state funding. The building was built with fees imposed by a vote of the student body. The Senate language, which may represent a negotiated agreement between the two houses that could show up in the final budget, represents a partial victory for the Associated Students of Washington State University which had lobbied hard to secure permanent funding for the facility after funding was cut by House and Senate budgets. Gov. Gary Locke had supported full funding for the recreation center.
Tuition May Increase Up to 6.7 percent This Fall
This latest proposal allows the WSU Board of Regents to increase tuition up to 6.7 percent this fall. The revised Senate budget allows for a 6.1 percent increase next year and up to a 12 percent increase for masters students in business administration (MBA.)
Senate New "June" Budget May Offer a Preview to Final Legislative Compromise Next Week
This latest twist in the budget, which moves to the full Senate floor today, could be very similar to the final legislative budget approved by lawmakers. Just when a final budget will emerge from the Legislature remains in doubt as negotiators continue to try to hammer out compromises on a variety of issues that don't appear to directly impact higher education. The Tacoma News Tribune reported this morning that such a compromise would not likely occur before late next week.
Other Highlights of the Senate's Revised Budget Include:
* The overall program budget cut for Washington State University is about $4.7 million or about 1 percent of its total budget.
* The budget proposes 42 additional students for WSU Spokane and 82 for WSU Vancouver in 2002. The enrollments are funded at $9,919 per student. The original Senate rate was $7,718. WSU is given the authority to transfer up to 10 percent of the enrollments between campuses (original House language.)
* Funding for the Advanced Technology Initiative was set at $300,000, compared to zero recommended previously by the Senate and $1 million recommended by the House.
This update is shared by broadcast fax and electronic mail to friends of Washington State University as government developments occur. Contact Michelle Delaney, WSU Government Relations, 509/335-6292 to be added to the list. Call Larry Ganders at 360/956-2165; From WSU Campuses, Dial 8-2165. e-mail: Ganders@energy.wsu.edu. Contact Jane Yung Dennie in Olympia at 360/956/2164. For federal issues, contact Kristi Growdon at 206/219/2424. For state bill status and other government info, visit our improved web page at www.olympia.wsu.edu.
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