Party-line vote on last division, now JFAC takes up ‘intent language’ on schools

The final division of the public schools budget, for educational services for the deaf and blind, has passed on a party-line, 15-4 vote, with Democrats objecting. It calls for a 1.3 percent cut in total funding next year. Now the committee is moving on to the extensive, and complicated, “legislative intent” language that accompanies the public school budget. That’s the strings that are attached to funding in budget bills, and it has the force of law, lasting for one year. The intent language includes the cut in base salaries for teachers, administrators and classified workers in schools.