An "A" for effort on the House education budget

June Atkinson, state superintendent for public instruction, likes the House proposed budget for education.

In a statement today, Atkinson asked the full House Appropriations Committee to approve the education budget subcommittee's proposal.

Most Democrats haven't had such nice things to say about GOP-authored budgets,  but the House education draft has drawn some qualified praise from House Democrats.

The proposal adds money to the K-12 budget to replace $259 million in federal stimulus money that is running out, and negates a $74 million reduction local districts have to take next year.

House Appropriations meets Tuesday. The full House will likely vote on its budget Wednesday and Thursday, then send it to the Senate.

This is what Atkinson says:

“The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education released its budget this week, and I applaud members for their efforts to help public schools. Even without new revenue sources, the subcommittee provided significant support to help meet the most critical needs of public schools. I encourage the full Appropriations committee to favorably consider the subcommittee’s education budget.



The subcommittee replaced funds to support a variety of important needs, but I am especially heartened by efforts to replace the federal EduJobs funds supporting classroom teachers and to reduce the cuts to local school districts.



A great many needs still remain, such as funds for textbooks and technology – and money to cover a pay raise for teachers, but this is a move in the right direction."