Following the release of the Senate operating budget, the House released their operating budget (HB 1067) proposal yesterday afternoon. For further details about the House proposed budget and its impact on the university, read the House Operating Budget brief prepared by the UW Office of Planning & Budgeting.
Key investments in the House budget proposal include:
Faculty and Staff Compensation
Similar to the Governor’s proposed budget, the House allocated funding to address both represented staff and non-represented faculty & professional staff compensation. This investment will help our employees keep up with the rising cost of living and will help the university in its efforts to recruit & retain world-class faculty and staff.
School of Medicine
The House proposed $5 million in funding for the continuation of our UW School of Medicine partnership with Gonzaga University in Spokane.
School of Dentistry
To help address the gap in access to dental care in rural and underserved areas, the House allocated nearly $2 million in funds to add a second year of dental curriculum in Spokane for the RIDE program.
State Need Grant (SNG)
Due to lack of funding, 24,000 eligible students are currently unable to receive SNG support. The House proposed funding to expand SNG aid to an additional 6,000 students statewide, including a significant number at the UW.
Computer Science and Engineering
To expand degrees to meet workforce demands in computer science, the House proposed $6 million to expand enrollment at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering.
Tuition Freeze with Backfill
Tuition would remain frozen in the 2017-19 biennium. Additional funding was provided to backfill the estimated revenue from 2.2 percent increases in the 2017-18 academic year and 2 percent increases in the 2018-19 academic year.
Areas of concern include:
School of Medicine
Unfortunately, there were no additional funds to expand enrollments in our medical education partnership with Gonzaga University in Spokane. Additionally, there was no funding proposed for the Institute for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM).
High Demand Degrees
Though funding proposed by the House supports enrollment expansion for Computer Science & Engineering at the UW, there was no funding in the budget to support degree expansion in Ocean Engineering, Cyber Operations or other Engineering programs across UW’s three campuses.
Student Success Programming Expansion
Funding was not included for the UW’s proposed tri-campus expansion of student success programs to further support the retention, graduation, and overall success among our students.
The Senate released their capital budget proposal yesterday and the House to follow soon after. Stay tuned for more news as budget negotiations continue.
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