The president of the governing organization for Kentucky’s public universities says Governor Beshear’s budget recognizes the far reaching impact of a higher education. Kentucky lawmakers will have the final say on how much state money goes to support the eight state institutions and the community and technical college system.
During his State of the Commonwealth and Budget Speech Governor Beshear said he’s proposing a two percent increase in higher education funding. Council on Postsecondary Education President Aaron Thompson said those dollars could directly affect student learning in the classroom, virtual or in-person.
“Each campus, either through a performance funding pool or general base, would have a chance to start building back some infrastructure that they’ve lost and when I say infrastructure, in many cases I’m talking about human infrastructure,” said Thompson.
Although the need is great, Thompson noted the governor’s suggested $50 million in a resurgence fund would help campuses eat away at some of the deferred maintenance. The CPE leader said the financial scene for the state changed significantly when more revenues came into state coffers and then a second round of federal help got approval.
