By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – State education officials are considering a proposed budget for next year, and Superintendent Ed Richardson says some school systems could face drastic cuts. As many as 47-hundred teachers could lose their jobs and public schools would have to increase the number of students per class. But Richardson says the problem could get even worse for other schools. He says some systems may have to eliminate all but the core subjects from their curriculum. Richardson says systems that don't have enough reserve money to operate their schools for two weeks, or those that cannot submit a balanced budget for next year, also could be forced to close small schools and charge fees for non-core activities. Richardson made the remarks as state board of education members began working on a budget. The board is expected to vote on the proposal next month. Richardson says next year's budget for grades K-through-12 is expected to be about 190 million dollars less than this year.