Gov. Jay Inslee this week unveiled an austere operating budget proposal and a capital budget plan that funds most WSU priorities.
Both are just the beginning of a state budget development process that won’t conclude until the Legislature adopts a compromise plan in late April.
The operating budget proposal partially funds WSU’s requests for cost-of-living adjustments for the next two fiscal years but notably does not fund a collective bargaining agreement reached in January with Academic Student Employees. It doesn’t fund WSU’s request to support accreditation efforts for the College of Medicine and provides one-time funding to sustain the university’s Native Coug Scholars program.
The proposal levies a small appropriation reduction of $792,000 as a part of cuts found throughout state government as part of efforts to close a budget shortfall. The budget also relies on other cuts, efficiency measures and new taxes to close the deficit.
The capital budget fully funds WSU’s $40 million request for minor works preservation to address deferred maintenance. It provides $11.6 million of WSU’s $20 million request to support minor works program, which funds small scale renovations and equipment purchases. Fully funded were requests for design and demolition to support a new science building in Pullman and construction of the Team Health Education Building in Spokane.
Also fully funded were WSU requests for a chiller plant upgrade at WSU Vancouver, design for a new Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab facility in Puyallup, construction of a new plant growth facility in Wenatchee, pre-designs for a new engineering building and dairy in Pullman and upgrades to gain compliance with the Clean Building Act.
Not funded were requests to improve classrooms and wireless access systemwide, and lab renovations at WSU Tri-Cities.
$17.3 million was provided to support the university’s decarbonization plans on the Pullman campus, a covered entity under the state’s Climate Commitment Act.
The Legislature will convene its 2025 session on Jan. 13 to begin drafting its own proposals.