COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Senate Finance Committee completed its plan for spending lottery money Wednesday and wrapped up its work on the state's $5.3 billion budget.

The committee put more money into per-pupil spending and technical college tuition assistance and less money into buses and math, science and reading programs.

The Senate Finance plan uses an estimated increase in revenues to pay for agency operations rather than allocating money from selling some of the state's car fleet.

Senators also protected the John de la Howe School for troubled children from being moved to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

The committee put $1,852 in per-pupil spending - $25 more than the House approved, but still much less than a state formula says the General Assembly should spend.

The money for the increase came from state lottery funds, which were the focus of Wednesday's meeting.

The Senate rearranged some of the House's spending priorities for lottery revenues.

The largest difference came in how much would go to kindergarten through fifth grade math, science and reading programs. The Senate Finance Committee agreed to put $30 million into those efforts - $20 million less than the House wanted.

Committee Chairman Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, expects that difference to be worked out in a conference committee next month.

The money cut from K-5 programs was spent in several other areas, including $42.5 million into tuition payments for technical college students - $8.5 million more than the House approved.

Leatherman said that would make sure 75 percent of tech school tuition is covered by the state.

The Senate also dumped House plans to use some unclaimed lottery prizes for school buses.

The Education Department has $28 million in lottery money on hand to buy school buses, Leatherman said, only about a third of which has actually been used.

"I frankly do not understand why in the world those orders haven't been placed," he said.

Earlier in the day, subcommittee leaders from the Finance Committee adopted plans to put $2 million into a new work-force readiness program in middle schools. But the full committee dumped that proposal.

Sen. Kay Patterson, D-Columbia, said high schools and tech schools already should be preparing students for the work force.

Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau, said the proposal was an example of new programs that crop up and take money away from the basic mission of schools. "We deviate from our basic responsibility," he said.

The committee left intact $30 million the House approved for college research programs. Leatherman said the commitment to the endowed chairs program needs to be kept even though the initiative has spent only $7.5 million of the $60 million set aside last year.

Colleges have to come up with private dollars of federal money to match the state contribution.

The budget now moves to the Senate floor for debate beginning May 3.

Last year, the Senate's budget debate spanned three weeks, a recent record in one of the sourest years anyone can recall in discussion of the spending plan.