FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 14, 2020
KBOR approves unified appropriations request
(Topeka, Kan.) - The Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) has approved its unified state appropriations request for the public higher education system for the Fiscal Year 2022 budget. The request seeks no increase to the budget originally allocated for state universities last fiscal year.
The Regents are asking the Governor and Legislature to continue funding for the highly successful university engineering initiative. This initiative, which was passed in 2012, called for state universities to graduate an additional 492 engineers per year by 2021. As of 2019, state universities had surpassed their goals with an increase of 621 graduates. Kansas businesses have indicated that its continuation is important for their workforce needs.
If the originally approved Fiscal Year 2021 budget is supported, the Board plans to dedicate part of the funding from universities’ base state aid for student mental health services. In a meeting between the Regents and the Students’ Advisory Committee, student leaders from across the state universities unanimously elevated mental health as an issue of growing importance directly related to student performance and requested the public higher education system consider enhancements to mental health services.
In addition, the Board plans to develop a pilot program to close gaps in enrollment that exist for students of color, first generation students, rural students and others to meet goals set in the Regents’ strategic plan and goals of the Governor’s Council on Education and Future of Higher Education Council.
The Regents also agreed to advocate for enactment of legislation similar to 2020 SB 335, which would allow public school districts to finance high school students’ tuition for postsecondary concurrent enrollment courses. This action promises to help lower the cost of higher education for many families and enhance access to higher education for first generation students.
Additional details about the items included in the appropriations request are available here.
The request will now be sent to the Governor’s budget office.
For more information, please contact Matt Keith at (785) 430-4237 or
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About the Kansas Board of Regents:
The nine-member Kansas Board of Regents is the governing board of the state’s six universities and the statewide coordinating board for the state’s 32 public higher education institutions (six state universities, one municipal university, nineteen community colleges, and six technical colleges). In addition, the Board administers the state’s student financial aid, adult education, high school equivalency, and career and technical education programs. Private proprietary schools and out-of-state institutions are authorized by the Kansas Board of Regents to operate in Kansas.