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56 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, May 7, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 3, 2005 Legislative budget talks falter School funding disagreement leads to breakup of joint committee By CHARLES E. BEGGS The Associated Press SALEM — State budget talks broke down Monday over school funding as House Speaker Karen Minnis split up the Legislature’s joint budget committee by forming a House-only panel. The move by the Republican House leader technically adds only one step to approving money measures, but it highlights the partisan breach between the Senate and House over K-12 school support, the biggest piece of the budget. Budget leaders in the GOP-run House and Democrat-controlled Senate are $150 million apart on school support. House leaders propose spending $5.175 billion, while Senate leaders want $5.325 billion for the 2005-07 budget. Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski wants at least $5.25 billion for schools — a figure halfway between the legislative proposals. School funding in the current budget is $4.9 billion. Advertisement Kulongoski considers his figures a minimum as long as projected state revenue holds up, said Theresa McHugh, his chief of staff. The next revenue forecast is due on May 13. "Unless the forecast shows a lowering of resources, I don’t see him moving away from $5.25 billion," she said. House and Senate leaders blamed each other for the lack of progress in weeks of budget talks. Minnis, R-Wood Village, said she decided to create a House budget committee after Senate Democrats "failed to make any movement in negotiations last week." Minnis said she believed having the House and Senate form separate budget panels out of the Joint Ways & Means Committee was the only way to get appropriation bills moving. The Senate’s budget chief, Democrat Kurt Schrader of Canby, said House Republicans had refused to discuss a number of subjects besides schools. Funding for K-12 schools accounts for more than 40 percent of the general fund-lottery budget, so an agreement on that spending often paves the way for resolving other appropriations. Senate Majority Leader Kate Brown, D-Portland, said Democrats, who once proposed spending $5.4 billion for school support, want a school budget "that does no further damage to schools." Democrats claim the Republicans’ school funding figure will force teacher layoffs and shorter school years in some places. The House budget leader, GOP Rep. Wayne Scott of Canby, said the Republicans’ proposal would fund schools "at a responsible level" while the Senate Democrats want unacceptable cuts in social services and public safety. Republicans would spend more than the Democrats proposed outlays for programs for seniors and disabled people and would fund construction of a new state prison at Madras, a project the Democrats want to postpone. House Minority Leader Jeff Merkley, D-Portland, said Minnis is "pitting seniors against children." Brown, meanwhile, said the feud will do the Legislature’s image no good. "I think the public will see this as quite ridiculous," she said. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Paris Hilton Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans Tatoo tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoos Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s