The compromise operating budget introduced by legislative leaders and approved by the House Tuesday would cut WSU’s state appropriation by $108 million, or about 26 percent.
That represents a slight improvement over proposals earlier put forth by the House and Senate. The net cut would be kept to $39 million, or 5.2 percent, with the implementation of 16 percent tuition increases authorized in the budget.
The spending proposal also incorporated most of the changes sought by WSU to help manage its cuts. The plan does not dictate how the university must achieve compensation savings, for example.
The proposal was approved 54-42 in the House Tuesday evening and now needs approval in the Senate before today’s scheduled adjournment of the Legislature’s 30-day special session.
Also needing approval is a capital budget. An agreement was reached Tuesday morning after all-night negotiations produced a path forward for a debt reduction plan. An actual budget proposal and project list is expected to be announced this morning.