Kansas University Chancellor Robert Hemenway today announced that a shortfall in state funding will result in budget cuts that could produce job losses and the discontinuance of some programs.

“At KU, the state’s failure to fund real, ongoing costs will result in real, ongoing cuts,” Hemenway said in a memo to university staff.

	For more information, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Journal-World.

Hemenway said KU’s budget for the next fiscal year will be about $7.1 million short of “what it would cost simply to continue our current level of operations.”

Hemenway said that is a 3 percent cut and will be made up by eliminating vacant positions and possible layoffs.

“Some staff could lose their present positions. If that happens, we will do what we can to shift those staff into other vacancies at KU,” he said.

He also said: “In some instances, an existing activity may be phased out in whole or in part.”

Hemenway provided no details, saying those will be announced soon. But he did say that there will be no salary increases this year for faculty or staff.

And, he said, the situation could get worse soon.

State budget cuts are possible because state revenue is running about $190 million below projections since March. Gov. Bill Graves has scheduled a news conference for Thursday to address the worsening budget problems.

Hemenway said the current problems would have been worse if the Legislature had not increased taxes during the session that ended last month.

Kansans will be paying about $300 million more in state sales, gasoline, cigarette and inheritance taxes for the fiscal year that starts July 1.