Shortfall imperils preschool plan, Republicans say

Virginia Republicans say the state’s projected $641 million shortfall jeopardizes Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s push to expand preschool programs for low-income 4-year-olds and makes it more urgent that they maintain control of the state’s purse strings.

“I am not opposed to the concept of what he may be trying to do, but the timing is as bad as it could be,” said Sen. Kenneth Thomas Cuccinelli II, Fairfax County Republican.

Mr. Kaine, a Democrat, on Monday told the General Assembly’s fiscal committees that he is ordering state agencies to cut 5 percent of their budgets to help cover the shortfall and considering tapping the state’s $1.3 billion “rainy day” fund to plug the financial hole.

Calling the idea premature, Republicans said the state should dip into the reserve fund only during an economic “downpour,” not a “drizzle,” and criticized the Kaine administration for errors that led to half of the projected shortfall.

Last week, Mr. Kaine proposed a $75 million initiative that would add 17,000 at-risk 4-year-olds to the state-funded preschool program by 2012.

Although the shortfall is no reason to panic, Republican lawmakers said, it makes it more difficult for them to approve Mr. Kaine’s proposal.

Sen. William C. Wampler Jr., Bristol Republican, said supporting Mr. Kaine’s plan “was difficult at best before we learned of the shortfall” and that similar pre-kindergarten pilot programs approved earlier this year need more time to develop.

Sen. Emmett W. Hanger Jr., Augusta County Republican, agreed.

“I think there will be a real hesitancy on the part of the legislature to go along with new programs such as expanding the 4-year-old pre-K initiative when at the same time the potential is there to dip into the rainy day fund. We may find there is an unwillingness to expand a lot of programs when we are experiencing a shortfall.”

Delacey Skinner, Mr. Kaine”s communications director, said similar programs in other states have shown that the early education investment saves money over time.

“When you are in a belt-tightening situation what you want to do is spend the dollars you have in an innovative way to get the most out of them that you can,” she said. “Pre-K is an example of how to get the most out of our education dollars.”

All 140 General Assembly seats are up for election in November, and lawmakers said the outcome could make or break Mr. Kaine’s preschool plan.

“There is no question there is hostility from some members of the Republican caucus to this idea,” said Jesse Ferguson, a spokesman for House Democratic Caucus Leader Brian J. Moran of Alexandria. “The more Democrats we have in the House the more likely we are to expand early childhood education.”

Delegate Robert G. Marshall, Prince William County Republican, predicted that the governor’s plan would be scrapped if Republicans maintain their legislative majority.

“I don’t think you should start new programs if you have a shortfall,” he said. “It looks like a warm-up for another set of tax increases.”

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