UPDATED AT 1:30 P.M.

House Democrats released a budget this morning that makes deeper cuts in higher education than the state Senate's proposal, but goes easier on public schools. An analysis by the governor's budget office indicates the House proposal would cut public school funding by $625 million, compared to an $877 million cut in the Senate budget.

Also, the House budget would cut higher education by $683 million compared to a $513 million cut in the Senate's budget.

"Our budget gives the hardest hit to higher education, even though this is absolutely the wrong time to do that," said Rep. Kathy Haigh, D-Shelton, chairwoman of the House Education Appropriations Committee. "I know that the students who attend those colleges and universities and those professors ... they will have to be the most resourceful. They will have to do the hardest work to figure out how to get through these tough times."

Haigh said that although the House tried to protect public schools, the cuts will still hurt. "The truth is, this budget is asking our teachers and our school districts to give up a tremendous amount," she said.

Other cuts in the House budget include $135 million for natural resources, $180 million for corrections and $814 million for health care. By comparison, the Senate budget cut natural resources by $90 million, corrections by $168 million and health care by $785 million.

Both budgets eliminate pay increases for state workers and teachers, require government employees to pay more for health care and reduce contributions to the state pension system.

Overall, the two budgets are similar. In both cases, the current two-year budget, after some steps were taken to reduce spending, is a little over $33 billion.

Both houses also are proposing around a $32 billion state budget for 2009-11. But they both would spend an additional $3 billion in federal stimulus money to prevent even deeper cuts. Taken together, the state would spend more money in the next two years than in the current budget.

Most of the actual cuts being made are really reductions in proposed spending.
It generally costs more each year to provide the same level of state services, due to inflation, population growth and other factors.

For example, when more children enroll in public schools, the state must pay for their basic education as required in the state Constitution. Washington currently is experiencing a spike in enrollment, in part, some officials think, because many financially strapped parents are pulling their children out of private school.

Lawmakers will now get together to work out a compromise budget. Negotiations are expected to start this week.

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