Although Gov. Tom Vilsack recommended university administrators furlough university employees, ISU President Gregory Geoffroy said it’s not going to happen at Iowa State.

Vilsack signed Senate File 2304 Friday that will fill the $121 million hole in the state budget for the remaining fiscal year, ending in June.

The bill takes $44.8 million from the economic emergency fund, transfers $51 million from other state funds and projects to the current budget and requires many state agencies to cut their budgets by 1 percent.

Vilsack previously said he wanted a budget proposal by March 1 to give the state time to enact the cuts. He either had to accept the plan presented to him or implement a 2.6 percent statewide cut.

The proposal asks that state agencies either furlough employees – forcing them to take an unpaid half-day off per pay period – or find some other way to save a comparable amount of money.

Geoffroy said in a statement issued Friday that Iowa State will not furlough its employees.

“To require furloughs with only four months remaining in the fiscal year and the spring semester near the halfway point would be extremely disruptive and unfair,” Geoffroy said in the statement. “The university could not equitably and efficiently carry out a furlough plan.”

Instead of furloughs, Geoffroy issued other options for saving university money.

These include:

Requiring units that report to the provost and vice presidents to reduce spending by $1.9 million. Student financial aid and the library are exempted.

Deferring or canceling a number of building renovation projects.

Closing as much of the campus as possible during spring break, March 16-24.

Making additional cuts in central administrative areas.

Connie Post, secretary of the Faculty Senate, applauded Geoffroy’s decision not to implement furloughs.

“It’s a matter of equity,” said Post, associate professor of English. “If you put everyone on furlough, it’s going to hurt those who make $25,000 a year more than those who make $80,000.”

Sen. Johnie Hammond, D-Ames, said she and other Democrats voted against the bill, instead asking that the rainy-day fund be used to deal with budget woes.

“There’s enough in all of the state accounts that we don’t have to completely dismantle higher education,” Hammond said.

Hammond said the state’s cash flow would not be hurt by utilizing the economic emergency fund. The fund had $171 million before the bill was adopted. The state also has $240 million in the cash reserve fund and can use tax and revenue anticipation notes (TRANS), she said.

“The economic emergency fund is not used for cash flow purposes,” Hammond said. “TRANS is money borrowed by the state treasurer.”

Hammond said $500 million was borrowed in November at a 1.8 percent interest rate.

“The state has a top-notch credit rating,” she said. “That’s what is used for cash flow purposes. That frees up other money in the rainy-day fund.”

Sen. Mary Kramer, R-West Des Moines, said voting on the bill was a difficult decision.

“You have to decide what is absolutely critical for the state in the last quarter of the fiscal year,” Kramer said.

Kramer explained why Regents institutions were not exempt from the cuts, but K-12 educational programs were.

“Regents institutions have had significant salary funding for several years,” she said. “A huge percentage of K-12 funding goes to teachers’ salaries, and taking a cut from them would’ve meant huge teacher layoffs.”

Kramer foresees more budget problems next year.

“We have only $15 million of new revenue for next year, and the state is expecting $200 million,” she said.