Comments for "Construction Spending Declines in February"

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

As you have likely heard, the Washington State Senate and House of
Representatives earlier this week released their operating budget
proposals for the 2009-2011 biennium. While we expected significant new
cuts, the Legislative budget reductions are dramatic and disturbing. All
of higher education will be severely impacted should these proposals
pass. For the University of Washington, the Senate has proposed a state
budget cut of nearly 23 percent, or $189 million, while the House has
proposed even deeper cuts of 31 percent, or $260 million. These cuts are
worse than we had anticipated, and although they could be mitigated
somewhat with federal stimulus funds and tuition increases, they still
represent a serious challenge to our ability to serve our state.

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