WICHITA, Kansas – The rippling effect of the poor Kansas economy is once again being felt in Topeka. Newly released figures from economists who do projections for the legislature and governor show the state’s budget deficit widening significantly."It's hard to take,” said Senator Jean Schodorf.Like many lawmakers, Schodorf is in shock over the figures, which suggest the state could be nearly $500 million in the red come January.Economists in the Kansas Legislature Research Department believe the budget shortfall will stand as high as $460 million at the start of next year’s legislative session. That’s due in part to $235 million of projected less tax revenue due to a struggling economy."Last year, we cut $300 million and that was very difficult,” Schodorf said. “This year we've already cut easy and medium projects we cut across the board. This year, we've got a bigger, more daunting task ahead of us.”"It means larger classrooms,” said Democratic Representative Nile Dillmore. “It's going to mean additional cuts to developmental and physically handicapped in our state. It's going to mean reduced services, reduced revenues back to the cities and the counties."Dillmore says schools will likely take the biggest hit because education accounts for half of the state’s budget.The projected $235 million of less tax revenue also means more bad news for the state's court system, which already faces a budget shortfall of $8 million.Friday, State Supreme Court Justice Robert Davis sent court employees a letter stating the new shortfall projections could likely mean several weeks of unpaid leave time in 2010.From court workers to students and so many more, the troubled Kansas economy continues to claim more and more victims.Despite the latest round of bad news, Governor Mark Parkinson remains optimistic, saying the deficit numbers are troubling but also manageable and that a balanced budget can be attained.
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