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Olympia
Update No. 14 • April 2, 2007
Proposed
2007-2009 operating budget negotiations
From: Larry Ganders, Assistant to the President
Printable Adobe PDF Version
Three WSU issues
loom large
in House-Senate negotiations
Negotiations are underway
between House-Senate negotiators over the 2007-2009 biennial operating budget
(House Bill 1128.) The Senate version passed 30-17 on Saturday. The House
version passed 62-35 on March 26. There are dozens of differences between the
two budgets for the university. However, Washington State University is urging lawmakers to give a
priority on three key issues before setting WSU’s final budget:
-
WSU supports the House’s position of providing all
tuition revenues for distribution by the students’ institution.
The Senate uses much of the
tuition revenue for costs historically provided by the state general fund.
The Senate budget drives more than $10 million in tuition revenues normally
distributed by the institution into faculty and staff compensation. WSU
supports the historical funding model that was used in the House budget and
the Governor’s budget. The Senate shift takes needed revenues away from
programs that receive new enrollments. This reduces funding per student and
takes us away from the policy directions set by the governor and Washington
Learns. The institution also desperately needs the tuition revenues next
biennium to enhance and expand program offerings to avoid bottlenecks to
students, fund student support services such as counseling and advising,
fund inflation, to pay for students on waivers, to fund programs like
“Cougar Commitment,” to match donations for endowed faculty chairs, to cover
unpredicted increases in operating costs, etc.
-
WSU supports the Senate’s position of funding increased
utility costs, and maintenance & operations costs for new academic buildings
that were constructed to serve the interests of the state.
The Senate budget appropriates $4.3 million in new state money to help with
utility cost increases, including the costs associated with converting the
Pullman power plant from coal to a more environmentally-friendly natural gas
fuel. This funding was not provided by the House. WSU requires the Senate
and Governor’s funding levels maintenance and operation for the Life
Sciences Building and the Vancouver Undergraduate Classroom Building. These
were not contained in the House budget. It is also essential that the m&o
funding is provided for the Mount Vernon research station as it has
historically been provided for all research stations. This was not included
in legislative budgets and was under funded by the Governor. Federal and
other funds for maintenance and operations have been subtracted before WSU
submitted its budget cost estimates.
-
WSU supports the House funding level for the Unified
Agriculture Initiative.
The House funds $9.5 million of WSU’s $10.8 million
research request on behalf of the industry, a very important investment for
the state. The Senate provides just $2.8 million for two competitive grant
pools. Missing from the Senate appropriation is support for agricultural
research stations that was funded by the governor. Most conspicuously
missing are those WSU faculty positions sought by the agricultural
organizations to make our state’s largest industry globally-competitive.
They include an enology and viticulture program leader for the state’s wine
industry, a new cherry breeder, a new food technologist position to develop
new products for wheat and other grains, a new tree fruit breeder that could
produce apple varieties for the Northwest, six faculty positions for dairy,
beef, sheep and other livestock producers, a Mount Vernon-based hydrologist
to work on water quality issues, a Puyallup-based urban and environmental
horticulturalist, and two value-added agribusiness development positions.
This request is the result of an unusual industry-based process that has
truly unified dozens and dozens of agricultural constituencies. WSU internal
reallocation plus this funding form a complete industry-inspired package
that will allow us to do this vital work.
Olympia
Update is produced for persons interested in state government developments
impacting Washington State University. For more information, go to
www.olympia.wsu.edu. Contacts: Larry Ganders, Assistant to the President,
360-956-2165. From WSU campuses, dial 8-2165. If you wish to subscribe to
Olympia Update directly by email, send a completely blank message from your
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