Kansas Senate adopts annual $32.7 million earmark for higher education building repairs

TOPEKA — The Kansas Senate approved a bill pledging a six-year infusion of $32.7 million annually to finance building maintenance projects on campuses of Kansas’ public universities, community colleges and technical colleges.

The original version of Senate Bill 552 would have authorized the program for a decade, but an amendment trimmed the commitment to six years. The legislation has yet to be passed by the Kansas House and the final version of the bill would need the signature of Gov. Laura Kelly.

“Basically, this will give the universities six years to use this program and at that time we’ll be able to look and see how much has been handled as far as deferred maintenance, how much has been done as far as demolition. It gives us an opportunity at that time to look and see if we need to adjust the number,” said Sen. Rick Billinger, a Goodland Republican and chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

The state’s public higher education system contained nearly 500 buildings with an average age of 51 years. The deferred maintenance backlog has been estimated at $1.3 billion.

Billinger said the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Wichita State University, Pittsburg State University, Fort Hays State University and Emporia State University would in the upcoming fiscal year receive $20 million for deferred building maintenance and $10 million to pay for building demolition. The first installment in the six-year appropriations plan would be made in the fiscal year starting July 1, 2025. The series of annual allocations would run through fiscal year 2031.

The legislation required each university to be match the state aid dollar-for-dollar with nonstate resources. None of the state funding could be used to upgrade dormitories, parking structures, student unions or athletic facilities.

Blake Flanders, president of the state Board of Regents, said there would be annual reports on progress of the long-term program to address facilities infrastructure needs in higher education institutions.

“Each postsecondary educational institution would develop and submit to the Board of Regents a plan for the purpose of rehabilitating, remodeling or renovating existing facilities or building new facilities that are mission-critical and to bring the facilities to a state of good repair,” he said. “The institutions’ plans would include a list of facilities for demolition.”

The Senate bill approved 34-6 on Wednesday also would earmark $100,000 annually to each of the state’s 19 community colleges, six technical colleges and Washburn University in Topeka. This group of institutions wouldn’t be required to match state grants.

Heather Moran, executive director of the Kansas Association of Community Colleges, said the funding would be the first from the state dedicated to deferred maintenance on the community college and technical college campuses.

“The buildings on these campuses are not state buildings,” she said. “They are locally owned and maintained, but mission critical to the state’s need for a trained and skilled workforce.”