To the editor:
The Journal-World has published a series of articles and editorials bemoaning the lack of support that Kansas University is receiving under Gov. Graves' budget proposal. Both Chancellor Hemenway and President Wefald of KSU have instituted hiring freezes and rescission planning at their institutions in order to continue operating. The meagerness of the governor's proposal, coupled with a harsh winter and increased utility rates, has brought these institutions to this extreme state.
Tuesday's edition contained a story about the disparity in wages between faculty and unclassified employees. This disparity was caused by the passage of legislation last year that funded a pay increase for faculty but did not include unclassified staff. For this legislative year there appears to be insufficient revenue to add them to the mix.
I fully support the pay increase proposal for the faculty, and agree that unclassified staff should get a similar increase, but I would point out that the lowest paid employees at the university, the classified staff, shop in the same stores and the same real estate market, send their children to the same schools, and do business with the same utility companies as the faculty and unclassified staff, and that it has been many years since they have received a raise that does much more than match the rate of inflation. Prior to the Graves administration, the faculty and unclassified staff were considered a single budgetary entity and were treated more generously, whereas one has to go back to the Hayden administration to find a cost of living increase for classified employees that was based in economic reality.
All of this points to the inescapable conclusion that during times of unprecendented prosperity the state government so mismanaged the budget that it no longer has the funds to operate efficiently. This mismanagement was the result of tax cuts that went far beyond what was prudent and which were undoubtedly based upon a keen and heartfelt desire to be re-elected. Equally inescapable is the solution to this dilemma. Someone needs to demonstrate real leadership, find the moral courage and utter the terrible words, "We need to raise taxes." Do it this year. Next year, House members will be campaigning for re-election and moral courage will be a rare commodity.
Mike Auchard, president
KU Classified Senate
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