Topeka ? Kansas’ higher-education funding is the lowest among states with Big 12 universities.

But Kansans  despite acknowledging the importance of colleges and universities to the state’s economy  don’t want to pay more in taxes to support them.

Those were among the conclusions of a pair of studies commissioned by the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City, a group that wants to launch a statewide public relations drive in support of the state’s universities. The results of the surveys were released Wednesday at a meeting of the Kansas Board of Regents.

“We think there’s a disconnect between where we stand in terms of public support and where the public wants us to be,” said Bill Hall, president of the Hall Family Foundation in Kansas City, Mo. “If we can explain that disconnect to people over a number of years, we can get to where we want to be.”

One of the surveys, conducted by MGT of America in Austin, Tex., compared state funding levels and faculty salaries of the seven states with Big 12 universities. The other survey, by Fleishman-Hillard Knowledge Solutions in St. Louis, gauged the opinions of 836 Kansans who are registered to vote between March 19 and April 13.

Funding lag

The funding report showed the amount of taxpayer money Kansas colleges and universities spend per student is less than in other Big 12 states. Among large universities  called Category I universities  average spending among Big 12 states was $7,532 per student, compared with $6,688 at Kansas, Kansas State and Wichita State universities.

It also showed higher education’s percentage of the total state budget decreased to 12.7 percent in 2002 from 16.3 percent in 1990.

And spending on faculty salaries also lags other Midwest states. The average professor at major universities made $82,507 in other states, compared with $73,966 at the three Kansas universities.

The report showed similar results for Kansas’ regional universities and community colleges.

“You’re going to have to increase public support for higher education to contribute to the economic growth and economic development in the state of Kansas,” said Mary McKeown-Moak, with MGT of America. “I’d suspect institutions in other states will be looking at your best and brightest faculty and trying to pull them away from you.”

Tax increase

But the public opinion results showed those polled would rather see more funding come from business and alumni donations than taxes. They also support increasing tuition by about the same rate as they support increasing taxes.

Only 48 percent of Kansans said they supported increasing taxes for higher education, compared with 54 percent for social services and 62 percent for public elementary and secondary schools. Only 14 percent said they “strongly supported” more taxes for higher education.

And many of those polled  41 percent  think Kansas already spends enough or too much on higher education.

The margin of error on the poll was plus or minus 4.5 percent.

Regent Jim Grier of Wichita said he thought public sentiment for tax increases could be less than the survey indicated, noting that 81 percent of those polled had attended a Kansas college or university.

Regent Bill Docking of Arkansas City said he thought the results showed regents needed to be looking at alternative funding options such as gaming money to support higher education.

Room for change

“Given the public’s attitude, to go to them full-throttle and ask for more tax support doesn’t look good at this point,” he said.

But pollster Robert Steen said the fact 91 percent of those polled thought the state’s colleges and universities were as good or better than those in the region gave him hope that public opinion could be swayed.

Hall said a new group  Citizens for Higher Education  was forming and awaiting nonprofit status from the Internal Revenue Service. When that’s achieved, it will begin raising money  the initial goal is $1 million  for a statewide campaign that will involve advertising, public relations and meetings with public opinion leaders.

The goal, he said, will be to move Kansas to the top half of funding among the seven Big 12 states within five years. He wants to move to the top fourth in 10 years.

David Shulenburger, provost and executive vice chancellor at Kansas University, said the reports confirmed earlier studies about Kansas’ higher-education funding.

“It shows the same things,” he said. “It’s hard to pick a set of institutions among which Kansas’ institutions are well-funded. We’re just not. People need to understand we’re not crying wolf.”