So, what's NOT cut?

Some very important programs were spared from cuts in the current round of reductions, including:

• Preschool
• Professional development
• Extended school services
• School safety
• The School for the Blind
• The School for the Deaf
• The Professional Standards Board
• The School Facilities Construction Commission
• Teacher health and retirement benefits
• SEEK funding
• KCTCS funding
• University funding
• Financial aid
  

The $10 million gone from P-12 could have been used for valuable services, but it's a small part of the $4,312 million the state budget originally included for elementary and secondary education.

Similarly, the $495 thousand cut from CPE will be missed, but it should be seen in proportion to the $1,218 million originally budgeted for postsecondary education.

These are real cuts, but they are also relatively small real cuts.