June 4, 2013
Letter from Kirk Schulz and April Mason: Recap of legislative impact on the university budget
Submitted by Kirk Schulz and April Mason
Dear Colleagues,
With the latest legislative session wrapping up early Sunday morning, we wanted to share several items that affect the Kansas State University family. Despite months-long efforts to support the governor’s proposed flat budget for higher education, the budget process ended with significant cuts in state funding.
For FY 2014 K-State’s operating grant line item has been reduced to reflect:
- 1.5 percent across the board reduction
- Continued self-funding of the longevity program
- A salary reduction based on a March 15 payroll snapshot.
Bottom line for K-State is a $6.6 million reduction in state funding for the upcoming fiscal year. By budget line, the reductions include:
- K-State main — $3.6 million, or 3.5 percent
- K-State Research and Extension — $2.7 million, or 5.6 percent
- K-State College of Veterinary Medicine — $355,221, or 2.4 percent
The enhancements for the College of Architecture, Planning and Design capital project funded by the governor were eliminated, with $1 million added back from the Educational Building Fund for FY 2014. The $5 million for animal health research was continued, as was $3.5 million for the engineering initiative program.
We are currently assessing the impact of these reductions in light of our 2025 strategic initiatives and pro-growth agenda. Our tuition and fees proposals will be presented to the Kansas Board of Regents on Thursday. Once we know where tuition stands, we can finalize our plans to address these budget reductions.
Our intention is to do all we can to keep everyone informed as we move forward, and we welcome input at any time. We plan to work closely with the cabinet and leadership from Faculty Senate, Classified Senate and the Student Governing Association during the next few days. At this time, we plan to announce early next week to our campuses how we intend to handle the cuts.
You can expect to hear from us soon. Please know we appreciate your support and understanding.
Regards,
Kirk Schulz
President
April Mason
Senior Vice President and Provost