The first Kansas legislative session since 1861 to extend into June is over. But the budget plan passed early Sunday is a frustration for a number of agencies and institutions; one is the Kansas University Medical Center.
Officials aren’t yet sure what the new budget will mean; in a speech this spring, KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little worried about a projected cut and the wide reach, particularly on the university’s satellite operations.
Without digesting the language of the bill, Kansas University Medical Center spokesmen were reluctant to comment on it’s impact. All they know, according to a spokesman, is that over the next two years the medical center will lose more than $8 million.
The Governor committed to protecting higher education, or core services. In the compromises that had to be made to pass a budget and tax plan, higher education will see cuts of about $66 million over the next 2 years.
Funding for K-12 education is flat, in spite of the ongoing court challenge to state aid for K-12 schools.
