Stay Tuned: Budget Gridlock Heads to 2nd Overtime

The first special session is over, and our state legislators have made little progress toward a final budget agreement. Lawmakers will get 30 more days to negotiate a compromise – or we face a July 1 government shutdown.

What does this gridlock mean for the University of Washington? Key challenges include:

• Tuition costs remain a mystery until a budget is adopted, which places a burden on students and families who are planning for unknown education expenses.
• Economy-boosting investments remain in limbo, such as an expansion of much-needed medical education east of the Cascades, and an enhanced capacity to produce STEM graduates for our growing tech industry.
• Quality and consistency of instruction are threatened, since fair compensation for faculty and staff hangs in the balance.

Alumni have called, visited and sent more than 2000 messages to Olympia in support of the UW’s legislative priorities since January. Our elected officials have been listening, but we must keep up the pressure until a budget is finalized.

UW Impact will continue tracking budget negotiations. Many thanks for paying attention and responding to UW Impact’s requests for action. We need help bringing home the best budget for our students, our University and the state of Washington.