State and Local Budget Writers Brace for Worst

By Robert C. Johnston and Drew Lindsay

Washington

Uncertainty over federal funding is leading many local and state officials to use worst-case scenarios to plan next year's school budgets, anticipating at least a 17 percent cut in federal aid.

The bleak forecasts are fueling talk of pink slips and program cuts, especially in many urban and poor rural school systems where federal money pays for nearly 20 percent of school budgets. On the average, money from Washington makes up about 6...