Kansas Senate passes budget with higher ed cut - Andy Marso, THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

The Senate voted 24-16 for its budget Thursday, which will now have to be reconciled with the House's budget. Both chambers cut some from Gov. Sam Brownback's budget proposal, but the Senate hewed closer to it than the House, which had to make deeper cuts because its members refused to extend a sales tax increase. For example, the House offered a 4 percent cut to higher education as opposed to the Senate's 2 percent cut. The House also offered a salary freeze on all state agencies, locking them in at current salary payments regardless of vacant positions. The Senate's lower cut for higher education was still enough to turn off Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, D-Wichita, who joined the other seven Senate Democrats in voting against the budget. “I proudly represent a district that is home to Wichita State University," Faust-Goudeau said. "This budget cuts more than $3 million from this college, including an aviation training program." http://m.cjonline.com/news/2013-03-21/senate-passes-budget-higher-ed-cut