In a press conference today, Gov. Bob Ferguson proposed operating budget cuts that, when combined with former Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed budget released in December would cut $7 billion in state programs and services, handing WSU a 3 percent reduction to its state appropriation on top of two dozen employee furlough days over the next two years.
The proposal, which does not itself constitute a complete state budget plan, serves as recommendations to the Legislature. The House and Senate will receive the state’s next forecast of tax collections March 18 before putting final touches on their proposals to be introduced in the two weeks that follow.
Former Gov. Inslee’s proposed budget presented WSU a $792,000 reduction in WSU’s state appropriation with Gov. Ferguson’s proposal suggesting a further reduction of $20.8 million, for a combined $21.6 million reduction to the university’s state appropriation over the next two years. Gov. Ferguson’s principles also propose eliminating one-time funding that was included in Gov. Inslee’s proposal to sustain the university’s Native Coug Scholars program. It maintains the partial funding for WSU’s requests for cost-of-living adjustments for faculty and staff and does not fund a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) reached in January 2024 with Academic Student Employees.
The Ferguson plan, avoids major reductions to state financial aid programs, calls for 6 percent reductions at most state agencies. The proposed furlough program, if adopted, would affect most state employees with narrow exceptions.