Appropriations Committee
Virginia House of Delegates
January 26, 2009
Contact: Robert P. Vaughn (804) 698-1590
House Appropriations Committee
Signals Future Direction on
Kaine's Education Budget Cuts
-- Committee Assigns Review of Kaine’s Cuts to Education Funding Task Force
-- Hamilton and Tata Indicate Cuts May Not Be Permanent --
Signaling their direction in what has become a major area of contention in Governor Timothy M. Kaine’s proposed budget cuts, House Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Phillip A. Hamilton (R-Newport News) and House Education Committee Chair Robert “Bob” Tata (R-Virginia Beach) today indicated that the Kaine Administration's elementary and secondary education cuts may be only of a temporary nature.
“In his budget proposal, Governor Kaine has developed a funding formula for support personnel in public education,” noted Delegate Hamilton, who also serves as chair of the House Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee. “The proposal calls for funding one support employee for every 4.03 instructional employees. As presented, Governor Kaine offers this formula as an ongoing methodology for addressing the increasing cost of public education in the state budget. House Republicans have not committed to making these cuts permanent.
“During the 2008 session, House Republicans worked to create a bicameral Education Funding Task Force to look at all funding issues involving public education now and into the future. House Republicans are insisting that this task force continue to review the Governor's proposal for future biennial budgets and the impact they might have on funding public education once the economic downturn reverses itself.”
“Our education system is one of our most valuable assets and the generation now entering our schools will face challenges we can only imagine,” declared Delegate Tata, who also chairs the House Appropriations Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee. “In working with the Senate through the bipartisan Education Funding Task Force, the Governor’s cuts in public education funding should be minimized.”
