Budget helps CIB, doesn’t cut charter schools-WEB ONLY

– Spends about $27.8 billion over the two-year budget cycle.

– Public schools will see an average state funding increase of about 1 percent in the first year and 0.3 percent in the second year. That’s less than House Democrats wanted for schools but $54 million more than Senate Republicans provided in their previous version of the budget.

– Restores 1-percent cut in operating expenses for higher education made in the fiscal year that was to end today. Uses federal stimulus dollars to essentially flat-line future higher education operating costs at 2009 levels over next two years, although Ivy Tech would receive an increase because of large spikes in enrollment.

– Includes bonding authority for numerous university building projects.

– Provides 5-percent increase in state financial aid from current levels.

– Includes a pilot program for virtual charter schools, to which Democrats had objected, but allows only 200 students the first year and 500 students the second year. That’s a smaller group of students than the Senate Republicans included in their previous version of a budget.

– Keeps $1 billion in reserves at the end of the budget cycle as Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels required.

– Funds the CHOICE program for home health care services at $48 million per year.

– Includes funding for public television and state tourism promotion.