Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Officials tell budget committee removing tech‑college operating grant would slow workforce pipeline
Summary
WSU Tech and Kansas Board of Regents officials told the Committee on Higher Education Budget that restoring a $10.5 million technical‑college operating grant is critical to maintain program capacity, retain faculty and meet employer demand; KBOR and presenters reviewed how two‑year funding streams work and how dual‑credit growth affects enrollments.
Doctor Flanders, president and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents, and Sherry Utash, president of WSU Tech, briefed the Committee on Higher Education Budget on funding for two‑year colleges and warned that a proposed budget omission could cut capacity at technical colleges.
Utash said the technical colleges produce high placement rates and workforce returns: “We have $6.09 plus million in increased earnings from our alumni across the state of Kansas. We also have an 87 to 92% job placement rate of completers, and 81% of our graduates remain and work in Kansas.” She told the committee that three funding streams that have supported technical colleges for the last three years—the technical college operating grant, business and industry apprenticeship funding and student success…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
