(Flickr Photo by Jeremy Yerse)Governor Sam Brownback is proposing a raise for classified state employees and a reversal of some state university salary cuts. He's also hoping to rewrite the Department of Corrections budget. Senator Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, chairs the Senate’s budget committee. He says most of the governor's proposed $460 million spending increase is allocated for corrections, but some lawmakers will still have concerns.
The bill would reverse most of the cuts to funding for university salaries, but would not restore the across-the-board cuts to higher ed. It also includes $8 million in targeted funding for specific university projects. The bill proposes a 1.5 percent raise for classified state employees that would take effect in fiscal year 2015.