Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) • Jan. 28
In his sixth State of the State address, Gov. Bredesen announced a $27.8 billion budget plan for fiscal 2009 that would keep spending flat in most areas but give modest increases for some education initiatives, including the state’s universal prekindergarten program. In addition to $4 billion for the basic education program for K-12, the governor proposed $25 million to add as many as 250 new prekindergarten classes. He called for using $200 million in lottery proceeds to set up an endowment to provide college financial aid to more students each year. He asked lawmakers to lower to 2.75 from 3.0 the cumulative grade point average that recipients of lottery-funded scholarships must maintain to keep their awards.
