Nixon Cuts $22 Million In Education Funding, Says GOP Lawmakers Forced His Hand
Because of a dispute over how much money to put in this year's supplemental budget, Gov. Jay Nixon has cut $22 million from public schools and higher education.
Nixon, a Democrat, announced Thursday that he's cutting $15.6 million from the current budget for K-12 schools, $3.2 million from community colleges, and $3.2 million from four-year institutions.
He says he asked lawmakers for $44.1 million in additional funding for education in this year's supplemental budget (HB 2014) to make up for declining revenue from lottery sales and casinos. But the Republican-led General Assembly provided only half of that amount for the current school year. The governor told reporters at the Capitol that GOP leaders have left him no choice.
"These are real cuts that will affect all Missouri students, even though there is sufficient general revenue available right now to cover the shortfall and make our schools and higher education institutions whole," Nixon said.
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/nixon-cuts-22-million-education-funding-says-gop-lawmakers-forced-his-hand
