April 10, 2008
Legislature: Restraint followed by more restraint
Editor’s note: This is one of a series of columns by Faculty Senate officials. J.W. Harrington is the faculty legislative representative.
The 2008 session of the state Legislature ended on schedule on March 13, after literally thousands of bills were winnowed to 341 that passed both chambers and went on to the Governor. The two political parties differ sharply on whether “restraint” is an appropriate characterization of the supplemental budget. However, from my perspective representing the UW faculty, fiscal and policy restraint prevailed.
Restraint can be good: let me begin this brief summary by noting “bad things that didn’t happen.” Measures were deleted that would have called for: common course numbering of many lower-division courses across all community colleges and public baccalaureate institutions; a single statewide law regarding campuses’ firearm policy (there were dueling bills calling for no guns versus no campus-specific restrictions on guns); and removing universities’ (and student governments’) authorization for tuition and fee increases.
Many things that UW administration and faculty wanted did not happen — due to fiscal restraint. These include funding for most of UW’s research initiatives, and a recruitment and retention salary pool. After a very impressive lobbying effort by the Washington Student Lobby, the Legislature funded a moderate state subsidy for child care for student parents (which would be one-quarter the amount that students currently tax themselves to subsidize child care). The Governor has vetoed that budget item: restraint followed by more restraint.
Among the positive actions for UW and faculty statewide: official faculty participation in the University committees that will develop and negotiate performance agreements with a central statewide board; partial funding for property purchase and land remediation at UW-Tacoma; partial funding for the “e-Science” initiative; and adoption of the Higher Education Coordinating Board’s strategic master plan.
As always, many issues are in my “to be continued” category. Political wrangling over location combined with severe budget concerns stifled the legislative push for a new UW campus in Snohomish County. The University’s request to give King County authorization to tax itself (if it so votes) for renovations to Husky Stadium was met with a plan for a “King County Projects Financing Task Force.” The statewide Council of Faculty Representatives (which I co-chair) will continue to press for gubernatorial appointment of faculty to universities’ governing boards. During the spring, our Board of Regents is to appoint two faculty representatives, suggested by the Faculty Senate, to an institutional committee that will propose performance measures and requests for funding and flexibility to the state, by the first of September.
I’ll pen a later column on plans for next year, the work for which begins now. Our 2009–11 biennial budget will be planned and negotiated in the midst of economic uncertainly and a gubernatorial campaign, even before the Legislature meets to work on it from January to April next year. I especially appreciate suggestions of strategy and compelling arguments in support of per-student funding increases, faculty salaries, graduate-student tuition stipends and child care support for faculty and staff.
Anyone who’s read this far probably has many questions. Please contact me at JWHarringtonJr@Gmail.com.
I’ll end with a farewell to Representative Helen Sommers, who represents the 36th District (Queen Anne, Magnolia, Ballard, Crown Hill). Rep. Sommers has been a strong chair of the House Appropriations Committee and a friend of the University of Washington; she’s announced her retirement at the end of this term.
