David Buri, director of government relations at Eastern Washington University, brought the school’s board of trustees up to date on his work across the mountains in Olympia during the group’s Nov. 21 meeting.
Buri offered his thoughts on how the results of the Nov. 4 election would play out for the university, plus he provided a preview of the next session of the Washington state Legislature and how potential budget cuts bode in EWU’s future.
“The election was not a big surprise,” Buri said. There was not a shift in power with the Senate where the majority caucus, still largely Republican, holds a 26 – 23 edge in the chamber.
Senate leadership is not decided at this point, Buri said. Sen. Mark Schoesler, of the Ninth District, is a name familiar here and has been mentioned as a possible new leader for that legislative body.
“The East does better with Mark Schoesler,” Buri said of the Ritzville farmer and Olympia veteran.
There are what Buri called three “magic numbers” when it comes to passing legislation: 25-50-1. Those equate to 25 votes in the Senate, 50 in the House and then having the signature of the governor.
Some members of the House with receptive ears to higher education were lost Buri said. Among them was Democrat Rep. Larry Seaquist who was in the leadership of the higher education committee.
The Legislature will deal with anticipated revenue that is a good news, bad news situation.
“There is a new revenue forecast,” Buri said. “The good news is it is in a positive direction.” Forecasts indicate there will be about $325 million in additional revenue, which will offset new spending.
Gov. Jay Inslee will release his budget about Dec. 14 or 15.
“It will not be pretty,” as Buri said there will be significant higher education cuts.
The newly passed K-12 class size reduction measure, Initiative 1351, is going to be very expensive and estimated to cost $2 billion this biennium. Add to that nearly $1 billion for the McCleary Decision and its requirement to fully fund K-12 education this biennium — upwards of $3 billion over the next few years — all sends higher education sailing into a sea of uncertainty.
Buri did report that there was potential good news when it comes to the capital budget which funds major building projects across the state’s six colleges and universities.
EWU’s number one request this year will be to fund a new science building to the tune of an estimated $73 million of a budgeted $228 million for all higher education projects in Washington state during this biennium.
While this is a significant request, Buri told the board, with the current emphasis on STEM — the study in science, technology, engineering, and math — it ought to be high on funding priorities.
Greater Spokane Incorporated rated the project request their top priority for the Legislature in 2014. A student science alliance talked with legislators and lobbied for the project.
Buri said Spokane’s Riverpoint Campus had no requests from the capital budget.
This was tempered by news that the governor’s budget is expected to show a 15 percent reduction in higher education spending. “That would not surprise me,” Buri said.
“We will do what we can to reduce that 15 percent number,” he said, hoping to stave off tuition increases.
Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].
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