Delivering on the Promise of Pay Raises

Legislators are finding out the hard way that providing pay raises to most of the sprawling state government requires more than just sticking a large chunk of money in a line of the annual budget bill.

The latest wrinkles involve higher education employees and the State Police.

As The Associated Press reports, the state's public colleges and universities cannot be required to parcel out any extra funding they receive to raise pay. Lawmakers further believe that those institutions are not bound by the $600 to $1,200 range proposed for the pay raises.

As for troopers, the way their pay is structured by state law requires legislation to change. Gov. Joe Manchin would have to include the necessary bill in the special session he plans to convene to extend the raises to them.

Lawmakers say Manchin has also suggested that they reconsider their decision to cap the raises at $1,200 while also providing a minimum raise of $600. The range is meant to ensure there's enough money to go around, and recognizes that perhaps 640 state salaries are in the six figures. But it also means that a number of state employees will be letting less than 3.5%.

As AP points out, the range does not apply to corrections and juvenile services officers who are in line for a different sort of raise: $2,000 increases as part of a three-year plan for raises totaling $5,000.

It also does not apply to school service personnel and teachers, the latter having staged walkouts Wednesday that canceled classes in 14 counties, as the AP reports.