Wichita ? Sounding frustrated and desperate, the Kansas Board of Regents and university presidents launched a public relations effort Thursday to keep lawmakers from sacrificing higher-education funding to close a $700 million budget gap.

“I believe this is the first time this has ever happened. That underscores the size of the opportunity and the magnitude of the threat both of those are greater than they have ever been,” said Kim Wilcox, executive director for the Kansas Board of Regents.

The board’s campaign kicked off with a news conference in Wichita, attended by current and former board members, the presidents of the state’s universities and community colleges and civic and business supporters.

“We have spent the whole spring trying to share our concerns, and we have been frustrated with the response,” Wilcox said.

Regents now plan to take the fight to communities across the state, with particular emphasis on pressing the editorial boards of Kansas newspapers to support their cause, he said.

“We must not go back and dismantle what has been so painstakingly built,” Regent Steve Clark said.

In Topeka, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Kenny Wilk said he understands the frustration of higher-education officials but said, “They join the chorus of entities” upset about the budget.

“I understand their priorities and we’re going to do what we can with the resources that are identified for spending,” said Wilk, R-Lansing.

In 1999, the Legislature reorganized the higher-education system and promised state universities, community colleges and technical schools more money. Higher ed was supposed to see a $45 million increase during the state’s next fiscal year, but no budget proposal lawmakers have considered would get close to that.

Clark told reporters that even if the upcoming budget funded post-secondary education at the same level as the current budget, it would still represent a $13 million cut about 6 percent less in actual available funds.

That’s because the schools have money tied up in previous obligations, such as annualized salary increases and rises in health insurance, Clark said.

Regents urged the Legislature to approve the budget for higher education, but, as a board, offered no specifics on how to come up with those funds. That’s the Legislature’s problem, they said.

Former regent Jordan Haines said universities are the strength of Kansas: “The future of Kansas and public higher education are inexorably one and the same.”

Frank Meyer, chairman of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, said a recent meeting attended by 17 of the state’s largest chambers of commerce came up with the consensus that the final budget should “hold harmless” K-12 and higher education, as well as research at the universities.

While a number of tax items are “off the table” for increases, he said, others that the Kansas Chamber would support include enactment of slot machines, an increase in the state sales tax by 0.3 percent and doubling of the franchise fee.

“The quality of education is a business issue,” Meyer said. “Healthy communities and work force needs demand educational excellence at all levels. Mediocrity is not an option.”

Janet Murguia, Kansas University’s executive vice chancellor for university relations, said adding business leaders to the supporters of higher education should benefit the regents’ campaign for funds.

“It’s an important voice with credibility,” she said. “It’s not just higher education making their case. It’s an independent third party saying it’s in the best interest of the state of Kansas to support higher education in this time.”