By Howard Fischer
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/knau/local-knau-820681.mp3
Phoenix, AZ – Governor Jan Brewer said today she's not willing to rule out even
deeper cuts next year in state aid to education.
In her first official press conference since becoming governor
last month, Brewer complained -- as she did in her inaugural
speech -- about inheriting such a large deficit from Janet
Napolitano. Last week, Brewer signed a modified budget for this
year which cut $141 million from universities, $133 million in K-
12 funds and $9 million from community colleges. Brewer said
everything has to be on the table with another $2.4 billion hole
in next year's budget.
(We're going to work with the education community, the business
sector, the legislature, and determine just exactly what it is we
are going to need to do in order to get our budget balanced.
There's a lot of hard decisions that are going to have to be
made.)
She acknowledged that Arizonans are concerned about how further
cuts are going to affect their lives and their education.
(I think that the education community will step up and come to
the table. And I have met with them, with the Board of Regents
and the K thru 12, some of the people that are involved there,
asking them to come and help us solve the problem so that impact
will not be so severe that people would be so overwhelmed by it.)
Brewer said she is preparing her own plan to balance next year's
budget but did not say when she will make it public.