Penn State’s state appropriation is still up in the air.

Though Pennsylvania’s General Assembly approved an approximately $28 billion budget Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Ed Rendell did not sign the final document — waiting instead to receive additional “companion legislation” that will further define where that money will go.

Penn State officials said they’re grateful the state’s General Assembly kept appropriations to the university on par with last year — now all there is to do is wait for Rendell to sign it.

Rendell and members of his office will meet today with Democratic and Republican leaders from the General Assembly to clear up some small differences, said Tor Michaels, chief of staff for Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre.

“Hopefully it will be very soon,” Michaels said.

Since the budget appropriates money to Penn State, university officials use the budget to set tuition, Penn State spokeswoman Lisa Powers said.

“The two sources of income for the educational side of our budget are tuition and appropriations,” Powers said. “So when the appropriations go down we have to adjust.”

Penn State requested more than $360 million in appropriations this year, but the budget approved by the General Assembly allotted $333.9 million — nearly the same amount as last year.

A draft budget — including estimated tuition for the 2010-2011 academic year — will be proposed at the Penn State Board of Trustees meeting on July 9, Powers said.

“During this economic year, in which we have a recession, we’re grateful for remaining level,” Powers said. “There was a possibility that we could have received less and we’re thankful that the legislature recognized that higher education needed to be kept at the same level of funding.”

While several Republicans in the state Senate voted against the budget, Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre, voted in support of the proposed budget.

“Every budget that you vote on has things that you like and don’t like,” Corman said. “But ultimately it’s a compromised budget that reflects the recession that we’re in. It was worth supporting.”

While Penn State will break even in the difference between yearly budgets, other state institutions may not be as fortunate. Tor Michaels, Conklin’s chief of staff, said places like libraries and state parks — which depend heavily on state funds — can expect cuts in the new budget.

Conklin wanted more funding for Penn State, Michaels said, but was content with providing the state with a budget that remains relatively intact.

“No budget is perfect and obviously Conklin wishes that Penn State University could have seen an increase in its allocation,” Michaels said. “We hate to see any cuts in staffing at the university. If there is one regret in this budget, it is that one.”

While funding for Penn State remains the same, Michaels said the General Assembly-approved budget will increase funding for public schools across the state, including those in Centre County.