Kentucky's new education commissioner says proposed state budget cuts would hurt a range of school services including preschool and efforts to bolster reading and math skills.
Commissioner Stephen Pruitt told state lawmakers on Wednesday that Gov. Matt Bevin's proposed cuts in the current fiscal year and in the next two years would affect school districts statewide.
He says the full brunt of the cuts can't be totally absorbed at state Department of Education headquarters. The central office accounts for a fraction of the overall education budget.
Pruitt praised Bevin for sparing the state's main funding formula for K-12 education from the cuts.
But he says the governor's proposed cuts in the current year and in the next two years could hurt extended school services, professional development and school safety programs.
