Chancellor Jim Rogers said Friday he and lawmakers are closing in on a deal to resolve the university system's budget.
"The answer is we're going to be able to come to a deal," he said after a hearing before the Senate Finance/Assembly Ways and Means joint subcommittee handling higher education budget.
"I have no indication but I'm hopeful it'll be in the single-digit area," Rogers said of cuts to the university budget.
Lawmakers have made it clear they won't allow the 35.9 percent General Fund reduction proposed in Gov. Jim Gibbons' budget.
Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, referred to the proposed cuts as "draconian."
"This is an incredibly important decision we are making about the future of Nevada," he said.
"The system cannot withstand a 36-percent cut," said Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas. "That amount is going to have to be reduced dramatically or we won't have a system of higher education."
Rogers and his team met with legislative leadership Thursday to hammer out some of the disagreements they have had over the budget.
University officials have refused to spell out what and where they would cut, saying they could set off a dangerous chain reaction among not only staff but students who would be most impacted.
Lawmakers have repeatedly demanded those priorities, saying they must know what would happen within the system at various levels of budget cuts.
Much of that specific information was provided this week, but behind closed doors.
"We made a lot of progress," Rogers said Friday. "It's my job to get every nickel I can for the system but it's not my job to take money away form K-12 or Human Resources."
Rogers said the picture will be finally resolved when lawmakers present their tax package, which will show all agencies, including the university system, how much they actually need to reduce budgets.
Lawmakers are expected to work out a final deal with the system by April 17 when their final hearing before the money committees is set.
Rogers also told the committee he will be leaving the chancellor's post July 1 after five years.
"I think my greatest disappointment has been that we have no plans for the future," he said. "One of the biggest reasons we have no plans is we have no goals."
Without goals, he said, discussions about funding needs "have very little relevance."
Buckley agreed: "If you don't set goals, you shouldn't be surprised when you don't meet them."
Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.