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March is Women's History Month!

Alabama educators fear more budget cuts

By Cuts in education loom, sour Ala economy, oil spill cited as factors

Montgomery, AL – - Some Alabama leaders are anticipating
more education spending cuts because of the Gulf oil spill's damage
to state tax revenues and a state economy that hasn't recovered
from the recession as quickly as anticipated.
Gov. Bob Riley is hopeful of getting through the end of the
current budget year Sept. 30th without increasing the 7.5 percent cut
that public education has already endured. That cut has put a crimp
on buying supplies, making repairs and filling vacancies.
But some school superintendents say they wouldn't be surprised
by additional cuts in the closing weeks of the fiscal year.
Riley says the status of the new education budget starting Oct.
1 depends, in part, on payment of the $148 million claim the state
has filed with BP. Some school officials say they anticipate cuts
could be 1 percent to 5 percent.