| Compensation Plan | ||||||||
| Request | ||||||||
| Compensation Increase | 463,870,000 | |||||||
| Health Insurance Increase | 68,928,000 | |||||||
| Attorney General Salary Increase | 1,997,000 | |||||||
| Salary Reclass Implementation | 16,782,000 | |||||||
| Faculty Retention Pools | 2,250,000 | |||||||
| Faculty Increments | 3,137,000 | |||||||
| Part-Time Faculty | 10,600,000 | |||||||
| Total Proposal |
$567,564,000 | * | ||||||
| The budget proposes percentage increases for state and school employees (excluding elected officials and judges) equal to the United States Implicit Price Deflator (IPD) of 2.5 percent in Fiscal Year 1998 and 2.7 percent in Fiscal Year 1999. Also, special increases are included for specific jurisdictions.
Proposed insurance benefit increases will cover anticipated medical inflation. | ||||||||
| WASHINGTON PERSONNEL RESOURCES BOARD CLASSIFIED AND EXEMPT FERRY SYSTEM, WASHINGTON STATE PATROL, SPECIAL, AND OTHER STATE EMPLOYEES | |||||||||||
| A 2.5 percent salary increase, beginning July 1, 1997, and a 2.7 percent increase, beginning July 1, 1998, are recommended for classified employees under the jurisdiction of the Washington Personnel Resources Board (WPRB), ferry system employees, commissioned officers of the Washington State Patrol, State Special (excluding elected officials, legislative and judges), and other state employees. Funding is sufficient to provide exempt staff with comparable increases. | |||||||||||
| Cost of Recommendation - State Employee Across the Board Increases
| |||||||||||
| General Fund-State | Other | Total | |||||||||
| WPRB Classified | 73,204,000 | 69,917,000 | 143,121,000 | ||||||||
| WPRB Exempt | 5,570,000 | 6,221,000 | 11,791,000 | ||||||||
| State Ferry | 5,936,000 | 5,936,000 | |||||||||
| Washington State Patrol | 176,000 | 3,899,000 | 4,075,000 | ||||||||
| State Special | 2,180,000 | 125,000 | 2,305,000 | ||||||||
| Other | 7,000 | 7,000 | |||||||||
| Total |
81,137,000 |
86,098,000 |
167,235,000 | ||||||||
| LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS | |||||||||||
| A 2.5 percent salary increase, beginning September 1, 1997, and a 2.7 percent increase, beginning September 1, 1998, are proposed for certificated instructional, certificated administrative, and classified employees of local school districts. | |||||||||||
| Cost of Recommendation - K-12 Across the Board Increases
| |||||||||||
| General Fund-State | Other | Total | |||||||||
| Classified | 40,660,000 | 40,660,000 | |||||||||
| Certificated | 180,976,000 | 180,976,000 | |||||||||
| Total |
221,636,000 |
221,636,000 | |||||||||
| HIGHER EDUCATION CLASSIFIED, EXEMPT, FACULTY, AND GRADUATE ASSISTANTS | |||||||||||
| For the 1997-99 Biennium, funding is recommended sufficient to provide classified, exempt, faculty, and graduate assistants in the state's institutions of higher education with a 2.5 percent salary increase on July 1, 1997, followed by a 2.7 percent increase on July 1, 1998 | |||||||||||
| Cost of Recommendation - Higher Education Across the Board Increases
| |||||||||||
| General Fund-State | Other | Total | |||||||||
| Total | 74,999,000 | 1,198,000 | 76,179,000 | ||||||||
| In addition to the cost of living adjustment, faculty retention pools are provided to the University of Washington and Washington State University. | |||||||||||
| Cost of Recommendation - Faculty Retention Pools
| |||||||||||
| General Fund-State | Other | Total | |||||||||
| Faculty Retention Pools | 225,000,000 | 225,000,000 | |||||||||
| Funding for faculty increments is included for the Community and Technical College system. | |||||||||||
| Cost of Recommendation - Faculty Increments
| |||||||||||
| General Fund-State | Other | Total | |||||||||
| Faculty Increments | 3,137,000 | 3,137,000 | |||||||||
| Part-time faculty members teach half of all community and technical college classes but most earn far less than full-time faculty. The Governor's proposal would bring salaries for part-time faculty at community and technical colleges up to at least 39 percent of full-time salaries. In addition, funding is provided to increase the percentage of full-time faculty from 51 percent to 53 percent. | |||||||||||
| Cost of Recommendation - Part-time Faculty
| |||||||||||
| General Fund-State | Other | Total | |||||||||
| Part-Time Faculty | 10,600,000 | 10,600,000 | |||||||||
| ELECTED OFFICIALS, LEGISLATORS, AND JUDGES | |||||||||||
| The 1986 Legislature created the Washington Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials. This 15-member body sets salaries for all elected state officials, including the legislative and executive branches, and all judges of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and superior courts. | |||||||||||
| ATTORNEY GENERAL SALARY INCREASE | |||||||||||
| Funding is provided to implement the second phase of the Attorney General's 1994 compensation study. This phase includes funding for increases for Assistant Attorney General levels 1 and 2. The continued funding of this request will maintain the investment made in the 1995-97 biennial budget that will help in Attorney General's retention issues. | |||||||||||
| Cost of Recommendation - Attorney General Salary Increase
| |||||||||||
| General Fund-State | Other | Total | |||||||||
| Attorney General Salary Increase | 999,000 | 998,000 | 1,997,000 | ||||||||
| SALARY RECLASS IMPLEMENTATION | |||||||||||
| Funding is provided to grant specific salary increases to some classified state and higher education employees. These increases are attributed to implementation of Chapter 319, Laws of 1996 (SSB 6767). Salary increase recommendations under this legislation result from prioritized salary adjustment decisions to address salary inequities, recruitment and retention issues, salary compression or inversion, and increased duties and responsibilities. These prioritized decisions were adopted by the Washington Personnel Resources Board, and the Governor's 1997-99 biennial budget includes funding for the first ten of these classified priorities. Classifications receiving adjustments are: various clerical classes, physicians, dental classifications, pharmacists, maintenance custodians, medical records technicians, fish/wildlife biologists, fish/wildlife enforcement, habitat technicians, and fiscal technician classifications. Implementation for these increases will be July 1, 1997 for all specified classes except fish/wildlife biologists, fish/wildlife enforcement, and habitat technicians, which will have a July 1, 1998 implementation date. | |||||||||||
| Cost of Recommendation - Salary Reclass Implementation
| |||||||||||
| General Fund-State | Other | Total | |||||||||
| Salary Reclass Implementation | 9,035,000 | 7,747,000 | 16,782,000 | ||||||||
| HEALTH INSURANCE BENEFITS | |||||||||||
| Medical costs are continuing to increase, albeit at a slower pace than in previous years. It is anticipated that the inflation rate for the health benefits package will be 6 percent for medical care and 5 percent for dental costs for both calendar years 1998 and 1999. The Fiscal Year 1998 state contribution rate is 3.0 percent and Fiscal Year 1999 is 6.0 percent above the Fiscal Year 1997 rates. No changes in the benefit packages or employee contributions are recommended. The state's monthly contribution will go from $314.51 for state employees and K-12 employees in Fiscal Year 1997 to $324.66 in Fiscal Year 1998 and $344.14 in Fiscal Year 1999.* The estimated additional state General Fund cost for health benefits for the 1995-97 Biennium for state employees and local school districts is $55.7 million and is included in the recommended budget.
* It is assumed that all surplus in the Health Care Authority Insurance Fund except for a 1 percent contingency fund is used to achieve these rates. | |||||||||||
| Cost of Recommendation-Health Benefit Increases
| |||||||||||
| General Fund-State | Other | Total | |||||||||
| State Employee Health Benefits Premium | 21,871,000 | 13,274,000 | 35,145,000 | ||||||||
| Local School Districts Health Benefits Premium | 33,783,000 | 33,783,000 | |||||||||
| Total |
55,654,000 |
13,274,000 |
68,298,000 | ||||||||
| *Includes all appropriated operating funds. | |||||||||||