Oregon Public Broadcasting

Governor Ted Kulongoski said again Thursday that he opposes using state reserves to mend the current state budget gap.  The governor also announced pay cuts for some state employees, including himself.   Correspondent Chris Lehman reports.

Social service advocates don umbrellas at the capitol to urge lawmakers to use the state's Rainy Day Fund.

Kulongoski says he’ll take a five percent pay cut -- about $400 a month.  He’s also cutting the salary of thousands of state managers.  The money saved would go to schools.  

Legislative budget writers proposed a series of cuts this week that could mean schools would shave a week off their calendar this year.  

Some lawmakers and education advocates want the Legislature to prevent that scenario by using the state’s reserve funds.  But Kulongoski says that’s a bad idea.

Ted Kulongoski:  “If you spend that money all now, you will end up in months and weeks of school closures at the end of 2010 and 2011.  There is no easy way out of this.”

Kulongoski says he’ll veto any legislative attempt to use the state’s reserves until at least next February.  

The Governor does support a plan to use some of the federal economic stimulus to bridge this year’s budget gap.