Governor Jay Inslee unveiled his 2017-19 operating budget proposal today, providing $10 million of WSU’s $10.8 million request to support 60 first year and 60 second year students for the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.
The college gained preliminary accreditation this fall and is on track to welcome its inaugural class in the fall. Some 700 prospective students applied for the 60 available slots and that field is being narrowed.
The governor’s proposal also called for a two-year freeze on tuition, adds funding to expand access to the State Need Grant for needy students and fund three 2 percent salary increases over the course of the two year budget cycle.
The governor’s proposed capital budget fully funds WSU’s $58.9 million request to build the Plant Sciences Building on the Pullman campus. However, it did not include funding for the university’s other top capital budget priority – $38.1 million for WSU’s Global Animal Health Phase II facility. WSU will continue to seek funding for this project in the upcoming legislative session.
The proposal funded the university’s $3 million request to design a new academic building at WSU Tri-Cities, its $4.9 million request to renovate STEM teaching labs in Pullman, and its $500,000 request for pre-design of a new life sciences building in Vancouver.
The release of the governor’s budget proposals is only the beginning of the budget writing process. The House and Senate will begin crafting their proposals when they convene their 2017 session Jan. 9 before negotiating compromises to send to the governor. You can click here for more information on WSU’s 2017-19 biennial budget requests.