Governor proposes $108 million in new funding for public universities

Dear Jayhawks,

Earlier this month, the Kansas Legislature convened its 2023 session. As lawmakers conclude their first month of work, I’m writing today to update you on the latest happenings in the Statehouse and share KU’s legislative priorities for the session.



On January 12, Governor Laura Kelly released her Fiscal Year 2024 budget recommendations, which serve as a starting point for legislative debate. I am happy to report that the Governor recommends an additional $107.9 million for higher education, which would help KU continue to fulfill its mission and address rising costs. We appreciate the Governor’s recommendations, and we will spend the coming months advocating for lawmakers to include her proposals in the final budget.



Below is additional detail on the Governor’s recommendations.



Summary

The Governor proposes an additional $107.9 million for state universities with the stated goal of helping them continue their trend of no-to-low tuition increases. (You will recall KU has kept tuition flat for four straight years, though that likely isn’t feasible this year given inflationary trends.)



The $107.9 million includes the following:

  • $65.9M base funding increase
    • $20M to expand financial aid
    • $21.8M to mitigate impact from inflation
    • $10.6M for university-specific programs
    • $8.5M for implementation of National Institute for Student Success programming
  • $42M of one-time (FY 2024 only) expenses
    • $20M for deferred maintenance
    • $12M for IT and cybersecurity upgrades
    • $10M for demolition

Additionally, the Governor proposes a 5 percent pay increase for State employees. (You will recall from past years that this amounts to a lower percentage for universities due to their unique funding streams.)

Overall, this is a very supportive proposal for universities, and we appreciate the Governor’s commitment to higher education. Related to this, it is worth recalling that last year’s budget was the best higher education budget in decades, for which we remain grateful to the Governor and the Legislature. 



Looking ahead



Remember, the Governor’s budget proposal is just that – a proposal – and her recommendations may or may not end up in the State’s final budget this year. 

Also, its important to understand that even if these proposals make it into the State’s budget, our university must continue to manage structural budget challenges at the Lawrence campus that require us to continue cutting costs and finding new sources of revenue.

If you are interested in advocating for KU, consider joining the KU Alumni Association’s Jayhawks for Higher Education advocacy group, which brings together KU leaders and alumni to engage with elected officials. Additionally, you can visit the university’s Office of Government Relations webpage for information to empower you to participate in the legislative process. I cannot emphasize enough how valuable it is when KU alumni and friends like you engage with elected officials on behalf of the university.

Thank you for your support of KU.

Rock Chalk!

Douglas A. Girod

Chancellor

University of Kansas