The 2022 legislative session adjourned on time yesterday after the House and Senate passed the supplemental operating, capital, and transportation budgets. Due to improved state revenue and the availability of one-time federal COVID-19 relief funds, the supplemental operating budget includes significant investments in housing, social supports, health care and behavioral health, and climate policy, in addition to fixes to the two-year budget.
The operating budget also reflects the strongest compensation package the University has received since before the Great Recession. This year’s budget boosts state support for compensation, meaning fewer tuition dollars will be put towards faculty and staff salary increases.
Major investments for the UW in the operating budget include:
- $12.9M for compensation increases for faculty and staff. The state funded 58% of the total cost of compensation for employees paid by state funding—the largest portion covered by the state in over a decade.
- $2M for the Paul G. Allen School for Computer Science to expand degree capacity among underrepresented students. An additional $455,000 (one-time) is included for The Allen School Startup Program.
- $505,000 to establish a new behavioral health pharmacy residency program at the Behavioral Health Teaching Facility at UW Medical Center–Northwest.
- $621,000 for UW Tacoma’s Milgard Hall for maintenance and operations.
- $3.25M for the Clean Energy Institute to staff and maintain clean energy battery fabrication testbeds and to facilitate clean energy technology transitions alongside community partners.
- $1.24M for the UW Seattle School of Nursing and UW Tacoma School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership to increase enrollments to address the state’s health care workforce shortages.
- $500,000 (one-time) for UW Bothell for monthly stipends for students in a Business Certificate Program established in partnership with the MLK Gandhi empowerment initiative.
Overall, the University’s section of the operating budget included funding for 29 provisos and new legislation. The budget also funded House Bill 1659, which expands the Washington College Grant by $34.27M, and House Bill 1736, which establishes a state student loan program with $150M in one-time funding. House Bill 1051, which adds a faculty member to the UW Board of Regents, passed as well but did not have a fiscal impact.
Major capital investments for the UW include:
- $10M for the Behavioral Health Teaching Facility to address increased construction costs caused by pandemic-related supply chain issues and impacts from the King County concrete drivers’ strike.
- $2M for deferred maintenance to improve seismic preparedness for facilities on the Seattle campus.
- $4M for the Rainier Valley Early Learning Center for a site study and predesign of two Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program classrooms (funding provided via the City of Seattle).
- $8M for Coronavirus Contingency Fund Grants that state agencies, including the UW, may apply for to support active construction projects experiencing cost increases caused by inflation and supply chain delays.
The 2022 compromise budgets include substantial investments in the University. The Office of State Relations sincerely thanks the legislature for the continued support of the UW.
For a comprehensive summary of the budgets, visit the UW Office of Planning & Budget’s briefs page.