Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback ordered $56.5 million of spending cuts on Friday to balance the current budget after lawmakers failed to meet his deadline for resolving the revenue shortfall in fiscal 2011.
The Republican governor reduced state aid to K-12 public education by $50.2 million. However, he said the state would seek a $35 million federal jobs grant to soften the financial blow.
The spending cuts would reduce the state’s distribution to local school districts to $3,937 per student from the previously allocated $4,012.
Other cuts include $2.3 million from the State Board of Regents and a similar amount from mental health services of the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.
Brownback’s move came after House and Senate negotiators said they were at an impasse on separate measures containing cuts requested by Brownback in January.
The governor had asked legislators to approve his budget-balancing plan by the end of that month.
“We’ve got to move now to be able to get to zero,” Brownback said at a news conference on Friday.
The cuts he outlined earlier would have resulted in a year-end surplus of $35 million.
Brownback said in January the spending cuts in fiscal 2011 were needed to cope with a projected revenue shortfall of almost $500 million when fiscal 2012 begins July 1.
The House bill would have resulted in a $35 million surplus at the end of fiscal 2011, while the Senate version projected a $20 million surplus.
However, the cuts ordered by the governor last week will not create a surplus. State law limits spending cuts by executive order to those necessary to balance the budget.
Senate Vice President John Vratil, R-Leawood, said there was a lack of trust among the budget negotiators. He said the cuts ordered by Brownback eliminate the need for a budget compromise in the Legislature.
Rep. Marc Rhoades, R-Newton, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said he believed budget negotiations should continue despite the governor’s unilateral action.
“The House is anxious to continue working through the conference committee process to achieve the governor’s goal of a $35 million ending balance,” Rhoades said.
Brownback said the long-term solution to the state’s budget woes is a healthy economy.
“There are more than 110,000 Kansans looking for a job right now,” Brownback said. “Our focus must be to grow the state’s economy and get those folks back to work. We do that, and we’ll have additional funding for everyone’s budget priorities.”
