House and Senate budget negotiators agreed Thursday to drop a proposal in their spending plan that would have prohibited state colleges and universities from raising tuition. They also made other adjustments in the proposed budget that narrow the projected revenue shortfall for next year to about $380 million.

The proposed tuition freeze had been part of a budget deal that was tentatively agreed to in April, before lawmakers took a three-and-a-half-week break.

That plan, however, was never voted on by the full House or Senate. Instead, the budget conference committee kept the bill, and they began meeting this week to work on final adjustments in light of the latest revenue and social service cost estimates.

On Thursday, the group agreed to drop the tuition freeze, but to cap tuition increases at the rate of inflation, plus 2 percent.

House negotiators also agreed to a Senate proposal to add $17.5 million in state general fund aid to public schools next year. Budget officials expect the state may need that much to cover an expected shortfall in property tax revenue because of declining oil and gas prices.

Both sides also agreed to about $18 million to $20 million in spending cuts. The biggest chunk of that will come from reducing the state’s contributions into the death and disability fund of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, saving about $11 million. KPERS officials said the death and disability fund has more than it needs to pay out current benefits and can absorb that cut in funding.

Other cuts include a 25 percent reduction in executive branch travel, cuts in advertising and subscription budgets for state agencies, and sweeping excess cash out of special funds held by various agencies.

In April, both Democrats on the negotiating team refused to sign the conference committee report, and they are expected to repeat that when the final budget deal is reached. They argue that the budget plan is unsustainable because it doesn’t adequately fund state services and relies too heavily on taking money from the state highway plan.

Their refusal to sign off on the conference report would mean both chambers will have to go through an extra procedural step before they can bring it to the floor of the House and Senate for a vote.

Lawmakers adjourned Thursday for a four-day weekend. They will return on Tuesday, May 26, which will be the 96th day of the session.