William C. Flook, The Examiner
2008-03-06 08:00:00.0
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WASHINGTON -

Virginia lawmakers in their last 72 hours face a major conflict over how to fund pay raises for teachers, but a top budget negotiator said Wednesday said he was confident that this conflict and others could be resolved by the Saturday deadline.

A few legislators from each chamber remain engaged in an intense, marathon conference to craft a single $78 billion budget for the next two fiscal years, as they face other conflicts over the expansion of prekindergarten and the use of the state’s “rainy day” fund.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Colgan, D-Manassas, one of the conferees, expected to reach a compromise by no later than Friday morning to avoid dragging out the session beyond its scheduled Saturday end date.

Legislators say the roadblocks, while serious, are less severe than in years past. In 2006, the General Assembly passed the tardiest budget in state history after quarreling into the summer over how to fund transportation. Issues over taxes prolonged the 2004 session.

“When you look at the difference [between the budgets], the difference this year seems to be relatively minor. However, there are some sticking points we need to get around,” Colgan said.

Perhaps the largest impasse surrounds how to fund pay raises for teachers and school staff. Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw, D-Springfield, promised to drag out budget talks if the House doesn’t forfeit its plan to diminish the state’s share of the salaries over the next few years.

House leaders shot back Wednesday at Saslaw’s “line in the sand,” pointing to their plan to fund pay raises sooner than the Senate, add hundreds more Medicaid slots for the mentally retarded and contribute more to school construction.

The Senate is more supportive of Gov. Tim Kaine’s proposed $43 million expansion of prekindergarten to thousands more low-income children, while the House’s budget would allocate $25 million.

“I know when that happens, the number usually comes out somewhere in between,” Kaine, a Democrat, said during a stop in Alexandria on Wednesday promoting the pre-K program.

Republicans have called Kaine’s proposal irresponsible in light of the state’s shortfall of about $2 billion over the next three years. They also dispute how much an emergency “rainy day” reserve fund should be tapped to help close the deficit. The House’s plan withdraws $280 million, while the Senate’s uses $422 million.

wflook@dcexaminer.com