Mixed Reviews of State Budgets for UW
Both chambers of the Washington State Legislature have released their proposed budgets, and the results are mixed for investment in the University of Washington.
The good:
- The House fully funds the University’s requests for support in expanding capacity in high-demand degree programs and for additional resources in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines. It does this through dedicated revenue, as proposed in HB 2158 (click here for more information and our position on this bill).
- Both budgets provide at least some funding for core, foundational support such as compensation and maintenance.
The not-yet-good:
- The House budget does not make the significant investments needed in compensation, which is a critical request to maintain quality and as the cost of living continues to climb across the state, particularly in the areas near UW’s three campuses.
- The Senate budget originally met the mark on compensation, until they reallocated $7 million of this funding away from the UW after releasing their budget. Read more here.
- The Senate budget also does not make any investment in STEM requests or high-demand degree expansion.
The decent:
- The House comes close to fully funding the Washington College Promise Scholarship (formerly the State Need Grant) with revenue generated from HB 2158.
- The Senate stays on track to full funding for this grant within the next 3 years.
How do we turn the “not yet good” into the good? Watch for our advocacy alerts over the next few weeks, as the Legislature works toward a final budget on April 28. We will let you know exactly when your emails will have the most impact.
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