By AP/KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – State funding for education and social services would be sliced under a budget passed today by the Missouri Senate.
The Senate vote sends the budget back to the House, which could accept it or ask for a conference committee to negotiate differences.
Democratic Governor Bob Holden has said he would veto the Republican-backed budget because it contains too many cuts. He wants to give voters a chance to raise taxes in order to avoid most of the cuts.
The Senate is expected to consider ways to raise a limited amount of additional money for the budget later this week. But any new revenues only would soften the cuts, not avoid them.
The Missouri Constitution requires the Legislature to pass a budget by May Ninth.
The budget that passed yesterday includes cuts for public schools funding of almost $300 million dollars in the next school year.
The proposed funding reductions have left
school districts thinking about cutting everything from transportation to maintenance to custodial jobs. And several districts were reducing the number of days some employees worked.