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March 31, 2011
Wherefore art thou, House Operating Budget?
When the revenue forecast was released on March 17, House fiscal leadership indicated that their operating budget would be delayed. We hoped to see a budget on March 21st and then on March 29th. Tomorrow is April 1 and your analysts at OPBlog anticipate having neither budget drafts to write about nor fantastic prank ideas to…
March 21, 2011
Report Confirms Deep Cuts to Higher Ed Across US
The SHEEO State Higher Education Finance report for FY 2010 was released last week. Unsurprisingly, it confirms that the same general pattern in Washington of deep state cuts to higher education funding coupled with steep tuition increases is being replicated in states across the US. Report Highlights: National Trends Nationally, on average, state support for…
March 18, 2011
New UW Website Centralizes Budget Information
You might notice links for a new website, UW Budget Watch, popping up on UW homepages (including OPB and right here on the blog). OPB worked with Web Communications staff to develop one website that would consolidate many sources of information relating to the state budget and how it has and is expected to continue…
March 17, 2011
March Revenue Forecast Reduces WA General Fund Budget by $698 million
State Economic Forecast Council Director Dr. Arun Raha released the March revenue forecast today. This forecast serves as the revenue basis for the Legislature’s general fund budget in the 2011-13 biennium (FY12 and FY13). 2009-11 Biennium (FY10 & FY11) While many economic indicators used in his analysis show tentative growth in 2011, revenue collections through…
March 14, 2011
Education Roundtable with US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined Governor Chris Gregoire and legislative leadership today for an education roundtable. Duncan congratulated state lawmakers on discussing the issue of education reform, even through tough budget times. He further drew attention to the grave problems troubling education in the United States—a 25% national dropout rate, poor STEM education,…
March 11, 2011
State Budget Updates
OPB published a new brief yesterday discussing expectations for the upcoming Washington State revenue and caseload/entitlement forecasts, and how both are likely to affect UW state funding levels. **EDITED TO ADD: Note that after we released this information, the new caseload forecast was released and lowered the expected growth of caseloads for K-12, Medicaid, and…
February 24, 2011
UW Asked to Model Steep Budget Cuts for 2011-13
Last week, Senate and House Fiscal and Higher Education Committee leadership asked all public baccalaureate institutions and the community and technical colleges to identify specific budget reductions at three levels for 2011-13. For the UW, those cut intervals were: The Governor’s proposed $189.8 million cut, a $218 million cut (Governor’s cut + 15%), and a $246…
February 17, 2011
Closing in on a Final Compromise for the FY 2011 WA State Budget
Leadership in both fiscal committees of the House of Representatives and Senate signed a compromise budget to closing the remaining FY 2011 budget deficit. Both new cuts and fund transfers are included in the compromise. While the budget is not final and both chambers must take a floor vote, the conference budget is in near final…
February 14, 2011
Virginia Close to Passing Major Higher Ed Reform
Virginia’s Governor, Robert McConnell, endorsed all of the recommendations made by the Higher Education Commission he created last year to explore policy options for higher education reform. The resulting Virginia Higher Education Act of 2011 has moved quickly through both the House and Senate and may soon be on its way to the Governor. The…
February 1, 2011
State of the States
We continue to closely follow the fate of Washington State’s budget, but are also keeping our eyes on what is happening in other states. Below are some resources that you might also find of interest: Education Week provides brief coverage of and links to the State of the State addresses as they are made in…
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