Here’s a look at some of the high-profile issues lawmakers will face:
PUBLIC EDUCATION
Some of the sharpest differences between the two budgets are in public education — which includes divisions over teacher incentives, property taxes and a House plan to spur charter-school creation near academically struggling schools.
The Senate is far more generous in the main funding formula for elementary and secondary education, increasing the per-student spending by almost $210 a head — about 2.91 percent. By contrast, the House would boost it by a shade over $19 per student, or about 0.27 percent.
The difference essentially boils down to whether lawmakers accept an increase of $535.1 million in local property tax revenues known as the “required local effort.” The House says the rise in homeowners’ property tax bills makes that a tax increase; the Senate says the increased funding is caused by the growth in property values, while the tax rate stays the same.
However, the House also plows money into two programs not included in the Senate budget. House budget-writers would spend $200 million on the controversial “Best and Brightest” bonus program for teachers, while the Senate would zero it out.