Sunday, September 13, 2009

Beshear Cuts increase from 2.6% to 4%

This from KDE recently:
The Office of the State Budget Director (OSBD) and the Governor’s Office for Policy and Management (GOPM) have indicated that the FY 2010 4% Budget Reduction Plan will be implemented.

The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) plan for the P-12 budget reduction, which will total $13,863,100, proposes that program-area reductions be made from the Flexible Focus Funds. KDE operations also will sustain a 4% cut.
Governor Beshear's explanation was,

Though I proposed 2.6 percent cuts to most state agencies during the special legislative session in June, as many of you know, two new programs that will result in reduced tax receipts were legislatively enacted, along with some additional spending. Those additions have exacerbated the shortfall and resulted in the need for us to make additional spending reductions this fiscal year....

However, I will continue to maintain my commitment this budget year to protect critical education programs from cuts. If Kentucky is going to have a chance at succeeding in the modern world, we cannot back away from investing in our future, our children. That is why, despite these very difficult economic times, I will not cut SEEK, the basic K-12 funding formula for schools, funding for health insurance for public employees and teachers, the Kentucky Teachers Retirement System, higher education or adult education.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Remember that movie, "Dave," about a president look-alike who stands in for a few days for the president? He quickly cuts millions from the federal budget by easily finding waste. The common person in the street could find significant waste in Kentucky's education budget. I spent several years of my education career at the KDE and was annually astounded at the waste in the education budget. As a local school administrator I was also astounded at the number of people in central offices who could disappear today and never be missed. I would like for Gov. Beshear to appoint a committee of volunteers to comb the education budget with him and let the members ask him and Holliday, why have this line item, that line item? Make officials justify line items. We have lost our common sense. One example, can the Safe School Office based at EKU point to one piece of evidence that shows the office has done one thing to make our schools more safe? As a principal, I see them as another government office that only gives me more paperwork. If that agency disappeared today nobody would would be less safe. Save federal and/or state funds and close that office.