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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE |
University System's Salary and Formula Recommendations Approved
Many Successes in FY '02 Budget;
Most Major Funding Items Approved as Recommended by Governor
Gov. Roy Barnes' political influence has yielded a highly competitive 4.5 percent merit-based salary increase for University System faculty and staff for Fiscal Year 2002.
Sunday night, the General Assembly's Conference Committee gave the final approval to the Governor's $60 million-plus salary recommendation, as they conducted their final budget negotiations well past midnight. System officials acknowledged the positive outcomes surrounding their top two budget priorities, and took gratification in the fact that several of the critical funding recommendations sup-ported by the Governor were supported at or above his recommended levels.
"The Governor made it clear that the salary increase was a funding priority, and the legislators responded with their support," said Tom Daniel, interim senior vice chancellor for External Activities and Facilities. "This increase should propel us to an even higher position in the SREB region than we had anticipated, because other states are not moving as aggressively in today's economic climate as we have done with this budget measure."
The funding increase will allow the University System to move up from its fifth place spot among Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states in terms of average faculty salaries, and again become more competitive with its regional and national peers. Nationally last year, the average salary increase was 3.8 percent, while in Georgia it was 3 percent.
The funding formula was another legislative success for the University System. System officials prevailed in convincing legislators that $18 million in funding was needed to offset the impact of the enrollment decline resulting from semester conversion, as recommended by Gov. Barnes.
The System was essentially "held harmless" from the one-time enrollment decline associated with the conversion to a semester calendar, and secured the allocation needed to cover the instructional and administrative needs of the existing student population. The $18 million proposed by the Governor was fully supported throughout the legislative process, by the House, the Senate and the Conference Committee. The key message that "our students have returned and they deserve high-quality services and instruction" hit home with the various committees that heard from Chancellor Stephen R. Portch on the issue.
The Conference Committee also maintained the Governor's recommendation and the House and Senate's support for $1.5 million in funding at Georgia College & State University, to help the institution achieve its new mission as the state's public liberal arts university. The Senate upped the ante on the Governor's proposed funding for the Biomedical Services Network to be created by the Medical College of Georgia and the University of Georgia. While the House version of the budget mirrored Gov. Barnes' $1 million funding recommendation, the Senate approved $1.89 million in funding for the initiative, and the Conference Committee settled the difference by recommending $1.15 million. The new initiative is aimed at leveraging state funds to secure federal research funding for treating, curing and preventing human disease.
The University System's Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP) received $1.1 million in funding, an increase of $600,000 over the Governor's initial recommendation of $500,000.
The University System was given the nod to take a lead role in developing the accountability system for the Governor's Education Reform efforts, with $1 million in funding to monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of University System Programs, working in collaboration with the Governor's Office of Education Accountability. PREP, the University System of Georgia's Postsecondary Readiness Enrichment Program, also received a boost of $600,000 in funding to help support middle- and high-school students in at-risk situations.
Technology - another critical priority for the University System - ended up in the compromise column, with a major positive development regarding the factoring of the funding formula. Strong support was secured from the legislature for the System's proposal to transfer technology funding from the Special Funding Initiatives' component of the budget to the funding formula. In the first year of the funding transition (FY '02), the University System will receive $5.56 million to increase the technology factor of the formula from 1.29 percent to approximately 1.57 percent of the formula allocation, although the Governor initially had proposed slightly more than $6 million.
"While we didn't quite secure the full amount we were after, this still was a major accomplishment of this year's budget," said Daniel. "There is a keen appreciation among legislators for the extensive impact technology is having on how we deliver ser-vices and instruction to students, the infrastructure and bandwidth that is needed to accommodate those demands, and the fiscal implications of those realities. State-of-the-art technology comes with a hefty pricetag, but it reaps immense dividends for our students and our state."
Yamacraw continues to remain a high priority for both the Governor and the University System, and accordingly will be infused with $4.54 million in funding to add faculty, increase and enhance the commercialization of research, and provide leased space for the initiative's faculty and staff.
The Governor's proposed initiatives for the state's Tobacco Settlement Funds stayed in tact throughout the entire legislative process, getting the final seal of the approval form the Conference Committee. In all, $921,821 was slated for staff and operating expenses for the Georgia Cancer Alliance, $3.34 million was allocated to fund 17 distinguished cancer clinicians and scientists, and $2.4 million was slated to purchase equipment for the five Georgia Research Alliance eminent scholars recommended in the FY 2001 Amended Budget.