Question: How do parameters work in higher ed?

Answer: The parameters represent the amount of money that the state will provide to the public colleges and universities for the salaries of employees in collective bargaining units.

Any money spent in a collective bargaining agreement that is more than the parameters must be paid by the college or university through its own budget (tuition fees, general operating budget).

Colleges and universities have refused to supplement the money offered in the parameters for fear that the state will reduce their public funding in the future.