Education

Legislative Updates

January 24, 1990 5 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The following are summaries of governors’ budget requests for precollegiate education and highlights of proposals that rank high on the states’ education agendas. Final legislative action on state budgets will be reported in the months ahead.

ALASKA

Governor: Steve Cowper (D)

FY 1991 proposed state budget: $2.4 billion
FY 1991 proposed K-12 budget: $668.4 million
FY 1990 K-12 budget: $629.3 million
Percent change K-12 budget: +6.2 percent

Highlights:

Governor backing bill to create separate endowment for education from state’s oil-revenue Permanent Fund.

Budget includes funding to expand Head Start, improve teacher training, and bolster science and language programs.

ARIZONA

Governor: Rose Mofford (D)

FY 1991 proposed state budget: $3.48 billion
FY 1991 proposed K-12 budget: $1.25 billion
FY 1990 K-12 budget: $1.18 billion
Percent change K-12 budget: +5.9 percent

Highlights:

To offset projected $340-million deficit, Governor has proposed $170 million in new taxes and a 4.8 percent across-the-board cut in 1991 budgets drafted for state agencies.

Concurrently with regular session, legislature holding special session to resolve long-term fiscal problems.

COLORADO

Governor: Roy Romer (D)

FY 1991 proposed state budget: $2.65 billion
FY 1991 proposed K-12 budget: $1.12 billion
FY 1990 K-12 budget:ÿ20$1.04 billion
Percent change K-12 budget:ÿ20+7.7 percent

Highlights:

Governor seeking alternative certification for teachers, plus revision of tenure laws to allow removal of teachers who show unsatisfactory performance.

Proposes expansion of school year from 180 to 200 days by 1995; $1.5 million for incentives to schools that show progress in performance goals; and state math and science academy.

Supports state education commission’s plan to provide funding for limiting class size in grades K-3 to 24 students.

GEORGIA

Governor: Joe Frank Harris (D)

FY 1991 proposed state budget: $7.8 billion
FY 1991 proposed K-12 budget: $2.81 billion
FY 1990 K-12 budget: $2.6 billion
Percent change K-12 budget: +8 percent

Highlights:

As required by Quality Basic Education Act, budget includes funds for a 3 percent raise for teachers.

Imposes “austerity-level funding” on many state agencies because of slowdown in state economy.

Includes funds for several new drug-education and drug-abuse-prevention programs.

IOWA

Governor: Terry E. Branstad (R)

FY 1991 proposed state budget: $3.2 billion
FY 1991 proposed K-12 budget: $1.2 billion
FY 1990 K-12 budget: $1.1 billion
Percent change K-12 budget: +9.1 percent

Highlights:

Budget includes $93.4-million increase in state aid to schools, including an additional $8.8 million in property-tax replacement; also contains $7.5-million increase for programs for at-risk students.

Revised school-aid formula recalculates districts’ per-pupil costs, with the goal of eliminating practice of artificially inflating enrollment figures to cushion against enrollment declines.

Legislature expected to continue to seek solution to long-running home-schooling controversy.

MARYLAND

Governor: William Donald Schaefer (D)

FY 1991 proposed state budget: $11.5 billion
FY 1991 proposed K-12 budget: $1.79 billion
FY 1990 K-12 budget: $1.68 billion
Percent change K-12 budget: +6.5 percent

Highlights:

Governor requesting $250,000 to implement proposals by school-reform commission, which include a comprehensive plan to make all schools accountable for the performance of their students.

Declared 1990 the “Year of the Infant” and proposed new programs for early-childhood education and prenatal care.

Budget includes $800,000 increase for math and science initiatives.

MISSISSIPPI

Governor: Ray Mabus (D)

FY 1991 proposed state budget: $2.06 billion
FY 1991 proposed K-12 budget: $957.9 million
FY 1990 K-12 budget: $881.2 million
Percent change K-12 budget: +8.7 percent

Highlights:

Governor last year proposed an ex8tensive education-reform package focusing on accountability, early-childhood education, computer acquisition, dropout prevention, and adult literacy.

One-third of three-year, $500-million reform package’s funding to come from proposed state lottery; Senate has already rejected lottery constitutional amendment this session, but it is expected to come up again.

NEBRASKA

Governor: Kay A. Orr (R)

FY 1990-1991 state budget: $1.18 billion
FY 1990-1991 K-12 budget: $241 million

Highlights:

No changes sought in biennial budget approved last year.

Governor backing implementation of second phase of nebsat, an education telecommunications delivery system, to provide hardware for additional postsecondary and job-training programs.

Legislature to be asked to provide about $100 million in property-tax relief.

NEW YORK

Governor: Mario M. Cuomo (D)

FY 1991 proposed state budget: $31 billion
FY 1991 proposed K-12 budget: $8.74 billion
FY 1990 K-12 budget: $8.5 billion
Percent change K-12 budget: +2.8 percent

Highlights:

Budget delays scheduled tax cut, saving $400 million; includes new taxes and fees on cigarettes, telephone calls, and license plates, with total projected revenues of more than $800 million.

Governor seeking changes in state school-aid formula; also wants to provide health care for uninsured children under 18.

Proposed tax increases face likely opposition from Senate Republicans, while House Democrats may fight human-services cuts.

NORTH DAKOTA

Governor: George Sinner (D)

FY 1990-1991 state budget: $1 billion
FY 1990-1991 K-12 budget: $412 million
Proposed change K-12 budget: -$34 million
Percent change K-12 budget: -8.3 percent

Highlights:

Defeat of tax-increase proposals in Dec. 5 special election forcing cut of $93.4 million from the general fund.

Annual per-pupil payments reduced by $114 each; transportation aid reduced from 68 cents per mile to 61.4 cents per mile.

Administrative cuts include suspension of the state’s education newspaper and a reduction of 2.5 positions from the 27 state-funded positions in the education department.

OHIO

Governor: Richard F. Celeste (D)

FY 1990-91 state budget: $26 billion
FY 1990-91 K-12 budget: $6.7 billion

Highlights:

No changes sought in biennial budget adopted last year; education agenda expected to focus on implementation of major reform bill passed last year.

Governor urging more state high schools to offer “international baccalaureate” program.

Legislature will study new school-financing formulas, but passage of a new method unlikely in this session.

VIRGINIA

Governor: L. Douglas Wilder (D)

FY 1991-92 proposed state budget: $25.8 billion
FY 1991-92 proposed K-12 budget: $4.7 billion
FY 1989-90 K-12 budget: $4.2 billion
Percent change K-12 budget: +11.9 percent

Highlights:

Due to declining revenue projections, Governor calling for no new programs.

Teachers to receive 6.3 percent salary increases in first year of biennium; no salary increases budgeted in second year.

Legislature expected to vote on submitting to voters constitutional amendment allowing third-party arbitration for public-school teachers.

Debate anticipated on notification of school authorities of enrollment of students infected with HIV

A version of this article appeared in the January 24, 1990 edition of Education Week as Legislative Updates

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 17, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read