KS senators find extra $53 million for higher ed to preserve $2 billion in COVID aid
A Kansas Senate panel on Thursday scraped together $53 million more for higher education, a move they hope will keep the state eligible for nearly $2 billion in federal COVID-19 recovery aid to schools.
The spending, approved by the Senate Ways and Means Committee, includes some money for universities, but the bulk will go to community colleges and technical schools.
The state government is faced with a dilemma: add $106 million to higher ed over the next two years or face the potential loss of $1.96 billion from three federal COVID-aid programs.
The $53 million added for the 2022 budget gets the state halfway there and could buy time for Kansas to either find more money or seek a waiver on its 2023 budget, said Ways and Means Chairman Rick Billinger, R-Goodland.
At issue is a concept called “maintenance of effort,” which basically means Kansas must fund education to the same degree it did before the pandemic. It’s a way for the federal government to ensure that states spend COVID money on extra COVID-related programs — not to backfill for other budget cuts.
If Kansas can’t meet that standard in both higher education and K-12, it could mean the loss of $1.15 billion from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act and about $595 million from the American Rescue Plan Act.
There’s even a chance — though officials say it’s less likely — that the state could have to give back almost $216 million in funding from last year’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
Schools need the COVID money to help students catch up after a year of closed buildings, remote learning and disrupted schedules, said Mark Tallman, chief lobbyist for the Kansas Association of School Boards.
Much of the federal money will be used to provide more summer and after-school programs for students who’ve struggled during the pandemic, he said.
Of the Ways and Means plan, he said “we feel good about it,” although he noted that the provisions still have to pass the full Senate and the House.
The House Appropriations Committee has not been as friendly toward maintenance of effort, relying more on the hope that the state will be allowed to spend less and get a waiver on the rest.
The biggest part of the funding package pieced together Thursday is a one-time $15 million increase in the regular allocations for public universities and colleges.
The other funding increases include:
▪ $11.4 million for unexpected utilities costs stemming from the February freeze.
▪ $10 million for Promise Scholarships, a state program that helps students pay for community college and technical school in exchange for their promise to stay in Kansas for two years after they graduate.
▪ $8 million for comprehensive scholarships, based on financial need.
▪ $5 million for community colleges that they could use for any purpose.
