When the 2017 Legislature did not appropriate money for general state employee pay raises, the North Dakota University System instituted a “pay freeze” for the 2017-2018 school year.
But if the state Board of Higher Education agrees, that freeze will be lifted for 2018-2019.
The Board’s Budget and Finance Committee passed its budget guidelines for the campuses, with language allowing the college presidents to give pay raises.
But there’s a caveat.
"The institutions will have the flexibility to do that if they can identify the funds necessary to provide those increases," University System Vice-Chancellor Tammy Dolan told the Committee.
Those funds could come from increases in tuition and room and board, or other savings.
Andy Wakeford of Lake Region State College is the staff adviser to the Board. He said there’s a disparity in salaries – and he hopes the campuses will be able to find some money for raises.
"There's some employees within the campuses that have not seen raises in 3 years," Wakeford told the Committee.
The full Board will look at this at its meeting next week in Mayville.