With all parties involve striking a positive tone on the likelihood of an afternoon or early evening vote on the so-called compromise budget proposal, details have emerged on the major concessions both sides offered up to get a workable deal on the table. Niki Kelly of the Journal Gazettefills us in.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, said the two sides agreed to put an additional $54 million into the school funding formula by cutting it elsewhere in the budget.
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The budget also contains some important education policy decisions, and they generally lean to the GOP side.
For instance, there will be no cap on charter school growth as Democrats sought; there will be a small pilot program for online virtual charter schools and there will be a scholarship tax credit for those who donate to private school scholarships, though it was cut to $2.5 million a year.
Bauer and Kenley said higher education would see state operating cuts but would be authorized to use federal stimulus dollars to make up the difference.
And the compromise contains debt service for $333 million worth of new higher education capital projects - an effort House Democrats pushed as a way to create jobs for the struggling economy.
The school funding increases amount to roughly 1% the first year and 0.3% the second year.
Expect to see only a few Democrats join in voting for this budget, with the vast majority opposing the bill due to the inescapable budget cuts that will be forced upon many school districts across the state.
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