Lawmakers plan to give Idaho's four-year public universities about $32.1 million less in total funding next year, further slashing the state share of costs for higher education.

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee agreed on a budget Tuesday that proposes spending roughly $377.7 million on the University of Idaho, Idaho State University, Boise State University and Lewis-Clark State College.

The budget plan for higher education in the next fiscal year wields a loss of nearly 8 percent in total funding, which includes state general funds, endowment money, one-time federal stimulus cash and student tuition and fees.

The state's general fund portion would drop about 14.1 percent and, combined with previous losses, mean Idaho will be spending about $67.6 million less in tax revenue on higher education than it did two years ago.

Lawmakers on the budget panel approved spending about $25 million on Idaho's three community colleges in the next fiscal year, or about $3.6 million less compared with this year, for a 12.6 percent decrease.

The budget was stripped of a proposed infusion of cash to help the state's newest community college handle a dramatic enrollment increase. The governor's budget recommendation included more than $1 million for enrollment growth at the College of Western Idaho, which was narrowly backed by voters in Ada and Canyon counties in 2007 and opened last January.