House pitches 7 percent tuition hike in new budget

Kayla Webley
2005-04-07
The Daily

The state House of Representatives released a budget proposal yesterday that resonated well with UW lobbyists, despite including a suggested 7 percent increase in tuition.

In the proposal, all revenue from the tuition raise would return to fund the UW, a contrary suggestion to the Senate's budget proposal, where only half of the extra money would return to the UW.

"[The House budget] doesn't claw back any of the tuition revenue," said UW lobbyist Randy Hodgins. "Every dime of that tuition money will stay at the UW to increase quality for students."

The budget would also increase financial aid proportional to tuition increases.

"They did maintain the requisite funding for financial aid," said Hodgins. "[The budget] recognizes both access and quality at the same time."

UW student lobbyist Jamie Corning said the tuition hike is low compared to what was originally projected, but still higher than Gov. Christine Gregoire's proposed 5 percent increase.

"We'd like it to be lower, around the governor's number, but realistically 7 percent is really good considering the budget deficit this year," he said. "Originally we were worried that it could have been as high as 12 to 15 percent."

The proposal provides financial aid for part-time students and creates a legacy trust fund for future generations of college students.

The House would create the trust fund by reinstating part of the estate tax, which was previously ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court this year. The tax's revenue would fund enrollments at the University, said Corning.

"This gives us a dependable source of revenue for years to come," he said. "This will address the growing need for enrollments."