AUSTIN – Four community colleges, including one in Ranger, would be spared in the Senate’s version of a state spending plan that also terminates 1,443 fewer state employees than House budget-writers are proposing.

The Senate bill was unveiled Monday, less than a week after the release of the House budget touched off widespread alarm because of cuts in education, health care, prisons and other state services. The Senate plan is simalar to the House budget but proposes a somewhat smaller overall reduction.

The Senate bill proposes $158.7 billion for the 2012-13 biennium, a $28.8 billion, or 15.4 percent reduction over current spending. The House plan calls for $156.4 billion, a $31.1 billion, or 16.6 percent, decrease from the current 2010-11 biennium.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/01/24/2792452/4-community-colleges-would-be.html#ixzz1C2upba2Z