Washington State University’s proposed 2005-07 budget will go up for final approval at its Nov. 16 Board of Regents meeting in Seattle.
“Major budget priorities identified in the strategic plan and addressed in the budget allocations, include competitive salaries, additional faculty positions, graduate education, and lower division programs at WSU Vancouver and WSU Tri-Cities,” said Karl Boehmke, executive budget director.
To that end, the budget includes:
• funding an average 3% salary increase for faculty, administrative/professional and graduate assistants, effective Sept. 1, 2006. This is in addition to the 5% increase for these groups on Sept 1, 2005.
• the addition of 50 new faculty positions — 31 for burgeoning enrollment at WSU Pullman; six at WSU Spokane; four at WSU Tri-Cities; six at WSU Vancouver; and four to match private funding establishing endowed chairs.
“Much of the new funding was devoted to salary increases, Boehmke said.
Classified staff salary increases vary by group, as follows:
• Police, Bargaining Unit #4: 3.2% effective July 1, 2005; 2.9% (lump sum payment) effective July 1, 2006
• Bargaining Units #1 (research and extension units west of the Cascades) and #11 (Intercollegiate College of Nursing): 3.2% effective July 1, 2005; 2.0% (lump sum payment) effective July 1, 2006
• Nonrepresented classified employees: 3.2% effective Sept. 1, 2005; 1.6% (Sept. 1, 2006-June 30, 2007)
Other salary increases include:
• Salary survey increases (for both represented and nonrepresented classified employees) effective July 1, 2005. This affected 322 WSU classified staff and varied from 2.5% to 28% depending upon classification. Salary survey increases bring salaries up to within 25% of the market rate.
• Longevity salary increases (for both represented and nonrepresented classified employees) providing annual periodic increments, usually about 5%.
These increases are in addition to the general salary increases, are awarded to classified employees who have not reached the top of their pay range and are awarded to about 35% of classified staff annually.
