S-378                 _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 5000

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1987 Regular Session

By Senators Saling, McDonald, Cantu, Hayner, Patterson, Zimmerman, Lee, Bluechel, von Reichbauer, Barr, Pullen, Sellar, Kiskaddon, Anderson, Benitz, Metcalf, Johnson, Bailey, Deccio, Newhouse, Nelson, McCaslin, Craswell and West

Prefiled with Secretary of the Senate 12/9/86.  Read first time 1/12/87 and referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

AN ACT Relating to higher education compensation; creating a new section; making an appropriation; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature finds that the salaries of state-funded faculty are significantly below those at peer institutions and that this situation is detrimental to maintaining excellence in the education and training of our citizens.  The legislature also recognizes that continued deterioration in faculty salaries has resulted from inadequate funding to date in the current biennium, thus presenting an immediate and critical need to provide significant salary increases to our current teaching and research faculty.  It is therefore the intent of the legislature to begin to remedy this critical problem through a supplemental appropriation sufficient to grant salary increases retroactive to January 1, 1987, which will make up one-third of the salary disparities at each of Washington's institutions of higher education as projected by the higher education coordinating board in its September 1986 report.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     (1) The amounts specified, or so much thereof as may be necessary, are appropriated to the designated institutions of higher education from the general fund for the biennium ending June 30, 1987, for the purpose of effectuating the specified average salary increases for full-time state-funded faculty, administrative exempt personnel, and graduate assistants, effective January 1, 1987:

          (a) $3,660,000 to the University of Washington for an average salary increase of 5.3 percent;

          (b) $1,700,000 to Washington State University for an average salary increase of 5.07 percent;

          (c) $414,000 to Central Washington University for an average salary increase of 5.0 percent;

          (d) $768,000 to Eastern Washington University for an average salary increase of 7.93 percent;

          (e) $270,000 to The Evergreen State College for an average salary increase of 6.67 percent;

          (f) $375,000 to Western Washington University for an average salary increase of 3.53 percent; and

          (g) $2,580,000 to the state board for community college education, for an average salary increase of 4.27 percent.

          (2) This section shall not prevent the granting of equivalent salary increases to research faculty supported by moneys other than state funds as long as sufficient moneys exist to support such increases.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, the support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.