Lincoln University, State Tech still looking for core cuts

In just 11 days, Missouri lawmakers must pass a budget for the state business year that begins July 1.

Like other state agencies, Missouri colleges and universities still are waiting to see what their final state aid will look like.

In his proposed budget, submitted to the Legislature in February, Gov. Eric Greitens planned a 10 percent cut to the core budgets of all Missouri public colleges and universities.

For Lincoln University, that would be a $3,227,405 budget reduction from what lawmakers appropriated for the current, 2016-17 state budget year.

But the governor also proposed a $687,332 funding increase based on the school's performance funding measures, resulting in a net budget cut of $2,540,073.

For State Technical College of Missouri in Linn, the governor's proposed cut would be $554,111, plus $219,360 in additional performance funding, for a net loss of $334,751 from the current appropriation.

The state Senate still has to debate its version of the budget bills this week.

But the state House reduced Greitens' proposed 10 percent cuts to only 6.58 percent of the schools' core budgets.

That added $154,346 to State Tech's state aid, leaving the Linn school with a $180,405 reduction from this year's appropriation.

LU's budget gained $171,794, leaving it with a smaller net cut of $2,368,279.

But the House also added a separate line - with $2.5 million - for a state match to federal funds for Lincoln's land-grant agricultural research and extension programs.

President Kevin Rome said earlier this year LU has used general revenue money to meet some of the matching funds so - if the land-grant money stays in the budget and doesn't get withheld, as similar budget lines have been blocked in the past - the additional money would help Lincoln's total budget.

Still, Rome told the News Tribune last week, the improvement isn't "significant" in Lincoln's total budget.

"The governor has clearly sent a mandate to state universities, to cut," Rome noted. "And, so, I don't know why we wouldn't listen to the mandate of the governor.

"Because if we don't, we won't be able to sustain the current model that we're operating under."

The LU president said school administrators can't rely on reserves alone, because "all those reserves would be gone" without a marked - but currently unexpected - jump in revenues.

"Realistically, state appropriations and tuition drive the institution," Rome explained. "If tuition stays flat, and state appropriations are reduced, then that is a huge impact on the economics of the institution - and we're forced to make cuts.

"No one wants to do so, but we're being forced to do so - and that doesn't feel good to anyone."

While the Senate could add more money to Lincoln's, State Tech's or other parts of the state budget, those changes would have to win House approval, as well.

And time is getting very short.

The Missouri Constitution states, "No appropriation bill shall be taken up for consideration after 6 p.m. on the first Friday following the first Monday in May of each year" - which, this year, is May 5.

So far, no Legislature has missed that deadline. But, presumably, a special session would be needed to deal with the budget if lawmakers can't agree on one by the constitutional deadline.

Assuming the Senate passes all budget bills this week, that would allow time next week for conference committees to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions on each budget bill - and then to have both chambers approve the compromise language before the May 5 deadline.