5/15/10New science textbooks face budget snag
State Board of Education will decide whether to proceed with $1.4 billion plan or delay booksThe $1.4 billion price tag for new science textbooks and other materials has been causing sticker shock among state officials bracing for the upcoming budget shortfall.
So, the State Board of Education on Tuesday must decide whether to push ahead despite the cost or delay the textbooks for at least a year to save the state money in the 2012-13 budget.
Legislators are anticipating a budget shortfall of $15 billion to $18 billion when they return to Austin in January to write the next two-year budget.
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One option the board will consider is keeping the existing textbooks for a little longer while providing students electronic supplements that would reflect the science curriculum standards approved by the board last year.
"It may be the best ugly solution out there," said board member David Bradley , R-Beaumont, who has been discussing the options with legislative leaders.
Oh this is rich. The budget crisis is going to save us from the SBOE's bad science and possibly the bad social studies recommendations they're about to pass too.
Well that's one way to look at this, anyway. The Texas Legislature didn't fund the books the last time we had this big of a budget crisis.
:kick: