By ELAINE SILVESTRINI |
The Tampa TribunePublished: March 16, 2011
Even as state lawmakers work to lessen the cuts proposed by Gov. Rick Scott in the education budget, they said the numbers they are facing don't look good.
"It's been excruciating," said Marti Coley, chairwoman of the House K-12 Education Appropriations Committee, who told members Tuesday her preliminary budget now calls for a 7.7-percent cut in per-student funding. "It's pretty overwhelming. Believe me."
That's less than the 10 percent cut the governor proposed, but still tough to face.
"Our possible budget is a little bit better, not a lot, but a little bit better than what the governor proposed," Coley, R-Marianna, said during a budget workshop. "When I first heard the 10 percent cut, I kind of gasped, and here we are at 7.7 percent." ...............(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2011/mar/16/florida-lawmakers-looking-at-steep-cuts-in-school-/news-breaking/