The possibility of closing the Mississippi School of the Artswas among many potential cutbacks discussed by lawmakers Wednesday,as the Legislature moves toward the end of the session.

With lawmakers entering the final weeks of budget work, HouseAppropriations Chairman Johnny Stringer gave his colleagues adocument showing possible job losses or program cuts outlined bystate agencies. Stringer had requested that the agencies outlinethe cutbacks they foresee and their effects on the agency shouldthey be funded at levels suggested by the Legislative BudgetCommittee.

The Mississippi School of the Arts was earmarked for closure onthe list compiled by the Department of Education.

“This was not a bill before the House but just a discussion onwhat could happen with proposed budget cuts,” District 92 Rep. Dr.Jim Barnett of Brookhaven said this morning. “I do feel betterabout it this morning than I did yesterday. I believe we can saveit, but the bottom line is we have to start raising money fromprivate foundations.”

Barnett mentioned the Reader’s Digest Foundation as one areathat needs to be explored. The foundation is a charitable,grant-making institution funded by contributions from The Reader’sDigest Association Inc.

District 53 Rep. Bobby Moak said he remained supportive of thearts school but was more cautious in predicting its future.

“Right now, we’re just beginning the process,” said Moak,referring to the time between now and next weekend, whenappropriations measures for the new fiscal year will have to beset.

Moak said the budget recommendations supported by the governorand Senate leave K-12 education $60 million short of budgetrequests and the Mississippi Adequate Education Program short byabout $91 million. If that passes, he indicated, reductions wouldhave to be made.

“When that happens, I can’t predict where the cuts will fall,”Moak said.

Moak, D-Bogue Chitto, said he was hopeful the ax would not fallon the arts school.

“I’m going to do what I can to keep that from falling,” Moaksaid.

House Education Chairman Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, said the Senatehas recommended $800,000 for MSA in its education budget, but thatwouldn’t be enough to keep the school open.

“At that level, they couldn’t operate, and that wouldessentially close it,” Brown said. “That’s not enough to even fundone class.”

Addressing other potential cuts in education, Moak said theHouse is the “only game in town” in support of higher educationfunding levels. He said it will be a “very crucial time” beforenext Saturday.

A few House members on Wednesday said they were taken aback bythe potential for deep cuts in state government.

”I wish we had known a little more of this at the beginning ofthe session,” said Rep. Rita Martinson, R-Madison, who’s on theAppropriations Committee.

But Stringer, D-Montrose, said no one should’ve beensurprised.

”I’ve been saying it all year. I think it’s just starting tosink in,” he said.

Brown agreed, saying “these are desperate times. I don’t knowwhere we’re going to go from here.”

The House and Senate have passed different versions of bills tofund Mississippi’s proposed $3.8 billion budget for the fiscal yearthat starts July 1.

Negotiators from the two chambers will try to work outdifferences, and compromise budget bills are supposed to be filedby March 26 and adopted by both chambers by March 28.

The House has passed revenue-generating bills such as acigarette tax increase, but the Senate has killed the bills. Gov.Haley Barbour and most Senate leaders say the oppose new taxes.

With tight budgets the past few years, lawmakers have kept somestate programs in place by using sources of money that areavailable only one year at a time. They’re expected to do so againthis session, but budget writers say there are fewer reserve fundsavailable to tap.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Gordon, D-Okolona, said inan interview Wednesday he expects budget writers to find enoughone-time money to build a budget.

”It would be a whole lot easier if Haley Barbour would let usput a tax on cigarettes,” Gordon said.

During a lengthy budget presentation to the House on Wednesday,Stringer said that based on the Senate-adopted spending proposals,up to 6,000 state jobs could be lost – some possibly from layoffsand some possibly from positions being frozen after workers retire.The state has roughly 31,400 workers overseen by the statePersonnel Board and 35,600 public school workers.

The Senate passed budget bills that were based onrecommendations made by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

In the agency summaries Stringer gave the House, the stateDepartment of Education said about 23 of the 149 school districtswouldn’t have enough local money to cover expenses if theMississippi Adequate Education Program was funded at currentrecommendations. MAEP is the basic funding formula for elementaryand secondary schools. It was funded $79 million below requests forthe current year, which started last July 1.

The Department of Education also said 20 state department jobswould be eliminated and about 54 jobs would be cut at the stateschools for the blind and deaf, in Jackson. It also said paysupplements for teachers who meet stringent national certificationstandards would be cut from $6,000 a year to $3,984.

Rep. Steve Horne, R-Meridian, questioned the potential layoffsat the blind and deaf schools.

”Sounds like a political ploy to me,” he said.