Gov. Mark Sanford wants lawmakers to spend about $100 million more on kindergarten through 12th-grade education next school year, but $13 million less on colleges.

Sanford's proposed budget for 2005-06, released Wednesday, includes an extra $53 million for teacher salaries. He wants to boost South Carolina's average teacher salary to $300 above the Southeastern average.

Other proposals include tax credits to parents who home-school their children or send them to private school and a statewide charter school district to encourage more charter schools.

For 2005-06, the average teacher would see a 1.6 percent, or $692, increase in salary, said John Cooley of the state Education Department budget office. Teachers statewide earn an average of $42,045 this year, though that figure includes bonuses paid to National Board Certified teachers and teacher specialists.

"It's good to see the governor recommend an increase in teacher salaries so our districts can be more competitive with the states around us," said state Education Department spokesman Jim Foster. That said, Foster found other education proposals made by the governor disappointing.

Sanford recommends increasing base spending per student by $361, to $2,213. That's about $80 less per student than a 1977 state formula, recalculated yearly, calls for in 2005-06.

And much of that is not a true increase, Foster said. It's a result of "moving money from one pot to another," he said. Money previously designated for specific items, such as summer school and reducing class size, would be transferred into the base student cost for districts to spend however they wish.

Sanford wants to give school districts more flexibility in how they spend state money. He also wants to give tax credits to parents who home-school their children or send them to private school, something the state School Boards Association adamantly opposes.

"We believe true innovation is available to all children, not for only those who can afford tuition or qualify for admission," said association spokeswoman Debbie Elmore.

Sanford said he believes giving parents more education choices will improve overall student performance. In another school choice initiative, Sanford wants the General Assembly to create a statewide charter school district to encourage the creation of more charter schools.

Sanford also wants small school districts to consolidate to "reduce duplication and unnecessary administrative costs." He proposes setting a minimum district population of 2,500 students. About 25 percent of the state's 85 school districts enroll fewer than 2,500 students. Locally, that includes rural Dorchester 4.

Sanford did not lay out how districts would consolidate. Under his proposal, district mergers would begin in 2006-07. "We believe that gives ample time to work out the logistical details," said Sanford spokesman Will Folks.

Sanford also wants to change the incentive for teachers earning national certification. Those teachers now get a bonus of $7,500 each year of the certification's 10-year duration. Sanford would give all newcomers to the program an extra $3,000 annually. The full bonus of $7,500 yearly would go only to teachers working in hard-to-fill positions or low-performing schools.

The Palmetto State Teachers Association opposes the idea. Kathy Maness, an association director, said it would lead to fewer teachers going through the rigorous certification process.

"The salary supplement is a great way to keep teachers in the classroom," she said. "Teachers have to work hard enough as it is and don't get paid for the amount of work they put in."

Sanford's budget seems to contradict itself. It cites one report that finds no connection between education spending and student achievement. Five pages later, it cites another report showing a correlation between instructional spending and SAT scores.

Folks said the governor believes more funding is part of the answer but not the only answer.

Elsewhere, Sanford wants to reduce college spending by $13 million.

He says college spending is out of line with national levels and that the state has too many colleges. South Carolina spends nearly twice the national average on colleges while it has the nation's second-lowest high school graduation rate, he said.