Legislature Overrides Riley's Veto of Education Budget

The budget, which Governor Riley has labeled as "fiscally irresponsible," will increase education expenditures by 13% over this year, and it includes a 6% pay raise for teachers.

Riley argued that the raise and spending plan can't be sustained with anticipated tax revenue, and public schools could go into proration, with across-the-board cuts in programs like the Alabama Reading Initiative.

"We have made these mistakes before where we have an unaffordable pay raise, and ultimately it puts us into proration," Riley said at a news conference.

Alabama law requires across-the-board cuts, excluding employee salaries, if revenues fail to meet budgeted expenditures.

Economic growth in Alabama has fueled large increases in the state's education trust fund over the past year, but the legislature has taken an unnecessary risk in betting that revenue growth will keep up that rapid pace.

The better alternative would have been to restrain spending this year, pay back the rainy day fund, and spread out salary increases over the coming years. But, sensible solutions like that are often hard to come by in a town where Paul Hubbert's AEA rules the roost.

Source: AP