Montgomery, AL – Gov. Robert Bentley is asking education officials how their schools and colleges would be affected by a 3 percent budget cut this year and 10 percent drop in funding next year.
Alabama's superintendent of education, Joe Morton, and the two-year college chancellor, Freida Hill, said Thursday they have received letters from Bentley's administration seeking the information. Morton said a 10 percent reduction for the 2011-2012 school year would be devastating.
Bentley said Thursday he is considering whether to order across-the-board cuts in this year's education budget. He said he has no timetable for deciding, but he is hopeful the economy will pick up enough to avoid cuts.
Bentley's predecessor, Bob Riley, cut last year's education budget 7.5 percent and the prior year's budget 11 percent because of the recession.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)