The following are summaries of governors' budget requests for
pre-collegiate education and high-lights of proposals on the states'
education agendas.
CONNECTICUT
Governor: John G. Rowland (R) FY 1996 proposed state budget: $8.48
billion FY 1996 proposed K-12 budget: $1.36 billion FY 1995 K-12
budget: $1.34 billion
Percent change K-12 budget: +1.4 percent
Highlights:
Governor is proposing to free districts from mandates in special
education and bilingual education, and to remove issues related to
pensions and health insurance from the purview of
collective-bargaining agreements for teachers and other school
employees.
A bill before the legislature would allow school districts that
have been petitioned by at least 2.5 percent of registered voters
to establish school-choice programs for low-income children.
Budget includes about $45 million for voluntary magnet schools
that could be created under regional desegregation plans.
Governor is proposing a 5 percent pay raise for all
school employees, contingent upon expected revenues from
a casino scheduled to open in May.
Lawmakers are expected to consider legislation to
create a pilot charter-school program.
Proposed budget figures assume that negotiations with
the federal government will alleviate a potential
$750 million shortfall in the state Medicaid
program.
The apparent rise in K-12 spending is due to
Measure 5, the 1990 property-tax-limitation measure
passed by Oregon voters, which transfers more
school-funding responsibility to the state. School
district budgets are estimated to drop by about 2
percent over all.
Governor proposed a constitutional amendment
clarifying that lottery money can be appropriated
for K-12 education spending. The proposed fiscal
1996-97 budget assumes $454 million in lottery
funds.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Governor: David M. Beasley (R) FY 1996
proposed state budget: $4.1 billion FY 1996
proposed K-12 budget: $1.54 billion FY 1995 K-12
budget: $1.50 billion
Percent change K-12 budget: +2.6 percent
Highlights:
Governor requested a 5 percent cut in state
programs and services to finance a
property-tax-relief plan.
Legislature is considering bills that would
transfer $32 million in school-reform money
to finance a 4.7 percent increase in teacher
salaries.
Legislature also considering a measure that
would transfer $30 million in sales taxes
earmarked for school-improvement projects
to help pay for a $200 million property-tax
rebate.
TEXAS
Governor: George W. Bush (R) FY 1996-97
proposed biennial state budget: $44.15
billion FY 1996-97 proposed biennial K-12
budget: $17.08 billion FY 1994-95 biennial
K-12 budget: $15.16 billion
Percent change K-12 budget: +12.6
percent
Highlights:
The budget proposal was generated by the
state's Legislative Budget Board before
Governor Bush took office. The Governor
has not made budget recommendations for
the next biennium.
The K-12 budget figures exclude about
$1.5 billion that the state plans to
spend over the next two years on
teacher-pension contributions.
Governor has pushed for school
reforms that would provide more
autonomy to districts, and is
supporting a major reform plan
recently passed by the Texas Senate.
Vol. 14, Issue 28
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