Ga. schools chief says tough times are ahead

ATLANTA - Georgia schools Superintendent Kathy Cox says the schools will have a ``pretty rocky couple of years'' before state education funding improves.

Cox said during a meeting Friday that she expects to have to cut up to another $39 million from school funding before the fiscal year ends June 30. That would be painful for the state's 180 school districts, which have already lost millions in funding as the state grapples with the worst fiscal crisis in decades.

It could mean more layoffs, more furlough days and even larger classes.
Cox spoke to the annual joint meeting of the Georgia School Boards Association and the Georgia School Superintendents Association in Atlanta.