November 14, 2019
Income Share Agreement Update
Income Share Agreements (ISAs) have grown in popularity in recent years. They have been lauded by some as a solution to the student debt crisis, and criticized by others for further complicating the education finance market. Given the continued interest in ISAs, we have updated our 2016 brief on the topic. Here are some key…
October 23, 2019
Background on the State Revenue Forecast
The Office of Planning & Budgeting (OPB) publishes a summary of the state’s quarterly revenue forecasts. This primer provides background on revenue forecast reports, including helpful information about how to interpret and understand their contents. Who produces the report? The Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council (ERFC) produces the revenue forecast, and is comprised…
September 26, 2019
September Revenue Forecast Indicates Slowing, but Continued Growth
The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council (ERFC) released their September revenue forecast. The projected Near General Fund-State (GF-S) revenue forecast for the 2017-19 biennium increased by $27 million. Projected revenue collections for the 2019-21 biennium increased by $447 million, decreased by $63 million for the 2021-23 biennium. The report projects similar growth to the June revenue forecast….
August 14, 2019
June Revenue Forecast Growth Driven by Legislative Activity
The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council (ERFC) released their June revenue forecast. The projected Near General Fund-State (GF-S) revenue forecast for the 2017-19 biennium decreased by $47 million. Projected revenue collections for the 2019-21 biennium increased by $432 million. This change was primarily driven by legislative activity in the 2019 session. The report projects similar growth…
July 23, 2019
2019 Higher Education Trends
As the higher education landscape continues to change and evolve in the United States, below are some select national and state trends driving higher education policy and innovation in recent years. The Office of Planning & Budgeting (OPB) continues to monitor these, and other, trends. This list was curated using multiple sources, including recent news…
July 19, 2019
UW Ranked #28 in the World for Second Straight Year by Times Higher Education (THE)
The University of Washington maintains its #28 rank for second year in a row in the Times Higher Education (THE) 2019 World Reputation Rankings, released Wednesday July 17th. This ranking is commonly used to measure a university’s global impact. The UW is one of only 11 of our US News top public research university peers…
May 6, 2019
Legislature Passes 2019-21 Biennial Operating and Capital Budgets
On Sunday, April 28, leadership in the legislature reached a compromise on the state’s 2019-21 biennial operating and capital budgets. The Governor is expected to approve these budgets, but has line-item veto power. As part of the compromise budget package, the legislature passed HB 2158, which creates a dedicated source of funding for higher education…
April 4, 2019
House and Senate Proposed 2019-21 Biennial Operating and Capital Budgets
Last week, leadership in the House and Senate released their 2019-21 state biennial operating and capital budget proposals. The House Appropriations committee released their initial operating and capital budget proposals on March 25. The Senate Ways & Means committee released their capital budget proposal on March 27 and their operating budget proposal on March 29….
April 3, 2019
OPBlog: Introduction
Hi! My name is Jessie Friedmann, and I joined OPB in January as the Policy & Communications Analyst. I have my Bachelor’s degree in Policy, Planning & Development from USC, and my Master’s degree from the UW School of Social Work, with a concentration in Administration & Policy. I have worked in local, state, and…
March 21, 2019
March Revenue Forecast Shows Consistent Growth
The Washington Economic and Revenue Forecast Council (ERFC) released their March revenue forecast on March 20. The projected Near General Fund-State (NGF-S) revenue forecast for the current 2017-19 biennium increased by $307 million, while the projected revenue collections for the upcoming 2019-21 biennium increased by $553.5 million. The report shows a similar forecast as that published…