Gov. Mark Sanford touts his proposed 2004-05 state budget for including an additional $29.7 million for kindergarten-through-12th-grade public education, but that's not the way state Education Department officials see it.

They point out their slice of the state budget, $2.4 billion, is actually $1.15 million less than last year's education budget as approved by the Legislature. That budget was cut in September, and the governor's numbers start from there.

"It's more than we currently have," said state Education Department spokesman Jim Foster. "But from our perspective, you can only say it's new money if you forget the fact we were cut by $31 million."

The state's total budget, which includes federal money, is about $15 billion. The governor's executive budget deals with the roughly $5.1 billion generated by state revenue.

Sanford's proposal is a starting point for the upcoming budget process, and lawmakers laud its thoroughness. The legislative session begins Tuesday.

"Sanford sent us a balanced budget. That will cause his proposals to receive a lot more serious review than the status quo unbalanced recommendations," said state Rep. Bobby Harrell, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Nearly 70 percent of the $29.7 million for public education comes from lottery revenues. Sen. Warren Giese, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, questions whether the governor can do that legally. Lottery money is supposed to go only to extra or special programs, he said.

Sanford's proposal would increase per-pupil spending under the Education Finance Act by $67 to $1,810. That's still $424 less per student than the law's formula calls for, said state Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum.

She had asked Sanford for an extra $457 million, including $382 million to follow that 1977 formula, $71 million for new school buses and $22 million for technology.

Sanford spokesman Will Folks said her request was unreasonable in tough fiscal times.

"To start $350 million in the hole and still be able to provide roughly $30 million to K-12 is a tremendous accomplishment," he said. "The governor clearly identified K-12 as a priority. Obviously not everybody's going to be happy with that number."

Scott Price of the state School Boards Association said lawmakers should consider increasing taxes.

"If education is truly a priority, we need to figure out what we need to do to improve education and put the money there no matter what," he said. "If there's no new revenue, the only logical thing to do is increase taxes. His budget doesn't even consider that."

To provide the $67-per-student increase, Sanford cut programs outside the classroom.

"We can either continue business as usual or do what the governor's proposing, which is budget as many dollars to the front line as possible," Folks said.

A 10 percent cut in six education divisions, including professional development, redirects $1.26 million, which would pay the salaries of about 25 extra teachers, Foster said.

"That would add 0.02 teachers to every school in the state. What you lose is all the training we do for tens of thousands of teachers," he said. "We believe the bigger bang for your buck comes from training."

Sanford would cut $2.9 million from 12 programs in the current budget, including $532,966 for lunch supervisors, $226,792 for character education and $75,000 for curriculum development at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston.

Kate Darby, the aquarium's development director, said she's confidant legislators will restore that funding before approving a final budget. More than 50,000 students statewide have made field trips to the aquarium since its May 2000 opening.

"It's a great way for students to get hands-on experience," she said.

Sanford proposes freezing the state's National Board Certification salary supplement and application reimbursement program. The state now pays board-certified teachers an extra $7,500 annually for 10 years, plus reimburses their $2,300 application fee.

The 3,100 teachers already certified and those who earn their certification by December would continue to get bonuses.

Harrell doesn't support that element of Sanford budget.

"The National Board Certification program has allowed us to be able to reward teachers willing to go through an incredibly rigorous program and become better teachers," the Charleston Republican said. "We ought to stay the course on the program."

Other proposals include closing the 207-year-old John de la Howe School in rural McCormick for at-risk youths to save $3.3 million. Up to 80 students at a time can live on campus. The school has served 123 youngsters so far this school year.

A similar school in Columbia, the Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School, either would educate those students or would oversee their placement elsewhere in the state.

Harrell said that proposal will "receive very serious consideration."

Sanford's budget would consolidate the administration of the Wil Lou Gray and the School for the Deaf and Blind in Spartanburg under the state Education Department.

"Our mission is completely and entirely different from the public schools," said Pat Smith, director of Wil Lou Gray, which annually serves 300 to 400 students who are earning their General Equivalency Diploma.

Sanford also proposes a tax credit against income or property taxes that families making less than $75,000 a year could use to help send their children to private schools or home-school them. Folks said details would come later and declined to discuss the tax credit until then.