Section 15. In accordance with the funding formulas referenced in section 15B of this chapter, the secretary, in consultation with the council and with the board of trustees for the university of Massachusetts, shall periodically prepare and submit to the budget director an estimate, in detail, for the ordinary maintenance of the entire system of public institutions of higher education, and revenue therefrom, as provided in section three of chapter twenty-nine. Said statement shall include the salaries of all officers and employees within said system and all program costs which are to be borne by any source other than the commonwealth, including such sources as federal financing or federal research, demonstration, or training grants, community contributions and other grants, endowments or trusts.

The secretary, in consultation with the council and with the board of trustees for the university of Massachusetts, shall also periodically submit requests for capital outlay for the entire system of public institutions of higher education to the secretary of administration and finance as provided by section seven of said chapter twenty-nine and to the house and senate committees on ways and means. The secretary shall use the estimates and requests prepared by each board of trustees for the purposes of this section attaching whatever recommendations she may desire or deem necessary. The general court shall appropriate funds for the system of public institutions of higher education in various line items, including, but not limited to four separate appropriations; one each for the University of Massachusetts, state universities, community colleges, and scholarships.

The board of trustees of the university shall receive its appropriation directly, in one sum. Funds appropriated for the state university system and the community college system shall be disbursed by the council to each board of trustees by the establishment of allocation accounts; provided, however, that the council shall not allocate an amount less than that appropriated by the general court for the expenses of ''01, salaries, permanent positions''; ''02, salaries, other''; or ''03, services, nonemployee'' without prior approval of the commissioner of administration; and provided, further, that no such funds allocated for the expenses of ''01 salaries, permanent'' to a board of trustees shall be transferred without the prior approval of the commissioner of administration.

Except as provided in the preceding paragraph, the council shall not be prevented from amending institutional allocations or reallocating funds among institutions.