The following are summaries of governors’ budget requests for precollegiate education and highlights of proposals that rank high on the states’ education agendas.
ILLINOIS
Governor: Jim Edgar (R)
FY 1995 proposed state budget: $14.9 billion
FY 1995 proposed K-12 budget: $3.64 billion
FY 1994 K-12 budget: $3.48 billion
Percent change K-12 budget: +4.6 percent
Highlights
- General state school aid would rise $100 million under the Governor’s request, which includes a $31 million increase in categorical programs.
- The request calls for $12 million in new spending on preschool programs and $3 million for new technology initiatives.
- The Governor’s proposal fell $90 million short of the amount requested by the state board of education.
KENTUCKY
Governor: Brereton C. Jones (D)
FY 1995 proposed state budget: $5.11 billion
FY 1995 proposed K-12 budget: $2.38 billion
FY 1994 K-12 budget: $2.25 billion
Percent change K-12 budget: +5.8 percent
Highlights
- Under the biennial budget request, state funding would rise to $5.35 billion in fiscal 1996, with $2.47 billion devoted to K-12 spending, a 3.8 percent increase.
- Basic per-pupil funding would hold steady at $2,495 in fiscal 1995 and jump 3 percent in fiscal 1996. Teacher salaries would not rise under the Governor’s plan.
- Funding increases are also proposed for teacher training and the recruitment of minority teachers, nearly doubling to $1.65 million over the two-year budget.
OKLAHOMA
Governor: David Walters (D)
FY 1995 proposed state budget: $5.0 billion
FY 1995 proposed K-12 budget: $1.41 billion
FY 1994 K-12 budget: $1.36 billion
Percent change K-12 budget: +3.7 percent
Highlights
- Legislature faces a tight fiscal climate as it prepares to appropriate the fifth and final year of funding for the state’s education-reform law.
- One legislative proposal would put a 5 percent cap on the proportion of children a school district may designate as gifted and talented.
Also under consideration is a juvenile-justice bill that would, among other provisions, create alternative programs in non-jail settings.
