Deal says more education spending cuts likely

ATLANTA - Georgia's incoming governor tells a newspaper state budget woes may require further cuts in education spending.

Gov.-elect Nathan Deal tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the state's lottery-funded HOPE scholarship can't continue on its current path and drastic measures may be needed to save it.

The Georgia Student Finance Commission, which oversees HOPE, projects a roughly $244 million shortfall for this fiscal year and estimates the shortfall for fiscal year 2012 at $317 million.

Deal says the book allowance will likely be ended and grants for students to take remedial programs in college could be cut.

Deal didn't provide specifics on cuts to K-12 funding but said a lot of ``tough choices'' will need to be made.