Two clauses being considered in the Kansas budget proposal go hand-in-hand with each other, but Wichita State Chief of Staff Zach Gearhart thinks that only one should survive to the end of the budget process.
Within the state budget, the legislature writes provisos, which contain conditions for allocating funding. They expire at the end of the fiscal year, which runs July 1 to June 30, unless renewed in the next legislative session.
One proviso asks each university to provide a plan to cut 10% of its non-faculty and non-support positions and present it at the next legislative session. Because the proviso is early in its life, Gearhart said that “non-faculty and non-support types of positions” are not clearly defined.
“We’re interpreting some of that to mean like academic advising or support services or financial aid; those types of things,” Gearhart said. “A lot of it will be subject to how the universities, (Kansas) Board of Regents and others interpret that.”
KBOR is the body that oversees the state’s public higher education institutions. Its nine members are appointed by the governor.
Adam Turk, chair of the Kansas House Committee on Higher Education Budget, told the universities last session that he expected the plan regarding the 10% cut. On top of those cuts, the legislature is planning to freeze tuition rates, meaning universities can’t rely on raising tuition in order to mitigate budget cuts.
“Essentially what (Turk) is saying is, ‘I’m going to cut your budget. You’re not going to be able to run to the students and put it on their backs. You’re going to have to actually do true cuts to your budget,’” Gearhart said.
Gearhart said he’d only seen one session that capped universities’ tuition rates, and it was only capped because a deal was made between the legislature and higher education institutions to not cut funding.
Once the state senate and house pass their respective budgets, it has to go to conference, which is a committee appointed by legislature leadership to resolve the differences between the two budgets.
“When it gets to conference, when the more senior (legislators) weigh in, I don’t think that it’s going to be cut and cap,” Gearhart said. “I think it’s going to be one or the other.”
When the legislature passes its budget, the budget will be sent to the governor’s office, and the governor can suggest changes. Then, the budget goes back to the legislature to alter based on the governor’s suggestions. While there’s not a set limit on how many times this can be done, a final budget must be signed by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly by the end of the legislative session on April 11.
