By NICK BUDD
Hays Post

With the recent announcement of a $279 million gap in the state budget, Hays USD 489 administrators are already anticipating more cuts to state aid next year.

At Monday’s school board meeting, Superintendent Dean Katt warned board members more budget cuts might be looming in the near future. The board approved new or increased fees and cut 16 teaching positions this school year to make up a $1.3 million budget shortfall.

“When legislators go back to work in January, the figures look like they’re going to have to raise revenues or cut spending over the next year and a half to make up a deficit of what could be almost $700 million,” Katt said.

Katt also said that the district is waiting on the other half of the Gannon case to be decided in district court. Earlier this year, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled funding wasn’t equitable among all school districts. Now the court must decide if the overall funding level of all schools is adequate enough.

“Unless (Gov. Sam Brownback) makes cuts right now by himself, until they come back in January, there’s not going to be a lot left in our budget year,” Katt said. “You keep reading more and more about how the governor won’t make cuts to education, but we’re just kind of in a limbo right now.”