Topeka ? Higher education officials will scale back their request for additional money during the next legislative session.

Instead of asking for double-digit percentage increases, as they’ve done in recent years, members of the Kansas Board of Regents will ask for a 6.5 percent increase in funding for the state’s universities, community colleges and technical schools and colleges in the year beginning July 1, 2006.

“The request will be dialed back a little bit to be more realistic, if you will,” said Marvin Burris, vice president for finance and administration.

Last year, regents requested a 20 percent increase in funding and received 5.5 percent.

Next year’s request was scaled back, in part, to ensure final-year funding of the higher education reorganization act, frequently referred to as Senate Bill 345. The act included three years for additional funding of university faculty salaries, community college operating funds and property tax relief for counties with community colleges, but wasn’t fully funded in the three years after the act passed in 1999.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has said she plans to include the final funding promised in the bill in her fiscal year 2007 budget proposal.

The budget request, which several regents acknowledged stands little chance to pass as proposed, is for $741.2 million, or $48.3 million more than the Legislature approved for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The breakdown:

¢ $578.6 million for the six state universities, an increase of 6.3 percent.

¢ $94.6 million for the 19 community colleges, up 8.7 percent.

¢ $11.1 million for Washburn University, up 5 percent.

¢ $30.2 million for the 11 technical schools and colleges, up 6 percent.

¢ $20.1 million for statewide financial assistance, up 5 percent.

¢ $3.5 million for other postsecondary education programs, including adult basic education, up 5.8 percent.

¢ $3 million to operate the Board of Regents office, up 9.6 percent.

Regent Janice DeBauge, of Emporia, last year raised concerns about the impact of Senate Bill 345 funding on higher education budgets, saying funding was disproportionately funneled to community colleges and technical schools and colleges. The proposed budget included an additional $3.2 million for state universities to help counteract that inequity.