State colleges and universities in Kansas stand to lose millions if the Kansas Legislature uses nothing but budget cuts to close a budget hole of $362 million. Sam Zeff of the Kansas News Service has more.
Across the Board Cuts Would Cost Kansas Colleges $53 Million
By Sam Zeff, Kansas News Service
New figures from the Kansas Board of Regents spell out just how much each university, community college and technical college would lose if the Legislature chooses to cut its way to a balanced budget this year. And it's a lot of money. In total, all 37 institutions would lose out on a combined $52,546,469 dollars if lawmakers enact an across-the-board 6.95 percent cut. The state's current-year budget is estimated to be $362 million short and the Legislature must find that money before July. The University of Kansas would take the biggest hit, $9,09,516. The KU Medical Center would lose out on $7,441,136. Kansas State University budget would get $6,453,934 less. But community colleges around the state would also lose out on funds. Johnson County Community College would lose $1,464,775 and KCK Community College would take a $704,966 hit. "The Board of Regents recognizes the difficult budget situation facing the state," Regent Chair Zoe Newton from Sedan said in a statement. "However, for our post-secondary institutions to have the capacity to produce a workforce that meets our employers’ needs there must be a core state investment. Unfortunately, this investment has deteriorated in recent years." Governor Sam Brownback has not actually called for across-the-board cuts to balance the budget. Rather he has proposed a number of one-time fixes.
Sam Zeff is a reporter for KCUR Radio and a contributor to the Kansas News Service.
