Education Defecit the Size of Texas

This from Ed Week:

Hard Times Hit Schools
States’ Budget Shortfalls Darken Start of New Year

Just two months ago, states had already racked up $40 billion in budget shortfalls so far this fiscal year—or the equivalent of the K-12 education budget for the entire state of Texas, with a couple billion left over in change.

The number only keeps rising, along with the pressure on educators at every level, as they start the 2008-09 school year.