Civic Engagement: I serve on the RDA Board and am the current chair of Emporia Main Street Board of Directors (July-June). I also have the opportunity to represent the College on the Newman Regional Hospital Board and am an appointment by the City to the Emporia Public Library Board.

Service on the Collaboration task force to review and recommend a new economic development structure for Emporia and Lyon County (RDA, Chamber, Main Street, City and County representation).

Flint Hills Technical College - Elected Officials: City, County, Representatives, Senators, etc. We will reconvene visits with elected officials through the fall semester.

Legislative dialogues: Local Legislators and Committee Chairs. The College continues to advocate with the other members of the Kansas Technical College system for the return of several line items supporting technical college operations. This advocacy and testimony is effective; latest feedback suggests some funding lines will be reinstated. The KTC testified January 26 to the House Higher Ed committee; additional testimony is submitted in writing for a February 9 House Higher Ed Budget committee meeting.
Senator Jerry Moran Support. Expect a campus visit and an announcement upcoming from Senator Moran. We are awaiting the letter to drawdown $320,000 for robotics training equipment.

Technical Education Authority and KBOR. The College presents its 2025-2026 expenditures of the Base Operating Grant to TEA March 12. Our outcomes align to TEA's strategic goals and KBOR's strategic plan.

KBOR Budget: Flint Hills Technical College. The budget discussions include these projected numbers for 2027 through KBOR.

SIGNIFICANT CUT for 2027 -- ~$900,000: Excel in CTE legislative changes will have an impact on the College's reimbursements from the state for delivering career and technical education to secondary students per Senate Bill 155 in 2015. The College calculates the reduction to be approximately $900,000. New regulations limit the delivery of these courses to juniors and seniors.
Tiered and Non-Tiered Funding 2027. $2,659,570 [Tiered - $1,759,973; Non-tiered - $899,597]
- 2026: $2,509,211 [Tiered $1,696,132 and non-tiered $813,079]
- 2025: $2,486,819 Tiered and Non-Tiered
Capital Outlay 2027. $393,492
- 2026: $388,072
- 2025: $373,702
Operational Base Grant 2027. $1,000,000.
- 2026: Secured in state statute. Dropped to $1,000,000.
- 2025: $1,500,000
Apprenticeship/Business Engagement 2027. $203,082.
- 2026: $200,280
- 2025: $201,536
Student Success Initiative. ~$7,500
- 2026: $147,058
- 2025: $246,635
Cybersecurity/IT Infrastructure 2027. N/A
- 2026: $250,000 eliminated.
- 2025: $250,000
Kansas Campus Restoration Act 2027: $92,375.
- This line is a 6-year legislation that provides the College an additional $100,000 per year from 2026-2031. The legislature reduced the amount for 2026 to $92,375.
- 2026: $92,375

KBOR budget discussions--2027 requests in process and refinement. These numbers will be updated for the March meeting.

The Kansas Technical College system presidents and the lobbyist are discussing with KBOR and legislators the allocation requests for the 2027 budget discussions. As was explained with employees at professional development on Wednesday, the College leadership is planning for some state cuts this year. This is what was submitted by KBOR. The first blush of the budget identified cuts for technical colleges (capital outlay is retained; tiered and non-tiered amounts are under review):

STATE AID APPROPRIATION FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26 FY27

Technical Colleges Operating Grants	$0	$10,500,000	$10,500,000	$7,000,000	$7,000,000
Colleges' Cyber and IT Improvements	$0	$6,500,000	$6,500,000	$0	$0
Apprenticeships/Business Partnerships	$0	$14,300,000	$14,300,000	$14,300,000	$14,300,00
Student Success Initiatives	$0	$0	$17,500,000	$10,500,000	$5,000
Share of Kansas Campus Restoration Act	$0	$0	$0	$2,401,100	$2,600,000

We will present to the Technical Education Authority in March to showcase in what ways we used the base operating lines. In 2025, the legislature defined the base operating grant operations and its review process as this in HB 2195: "All expenditures from the Kansas technical college operating grant fund shall be for instruction and operations to meet target objectives established by the postsecondary technical education authority for each technical college's region and the entire state." Our use of the base operating grant funds will align to the TEA goals, which I have also attached. Discussions in these early stages suggest the BOG and apprenticeship lines would return. This table above represents the requests KBOR submitted.

FHTC Board of Trustees

Meeting Information