Bredesen, a Democrat, has seen the budget picture deteriorate rapidly over the last six months.
In August, Bredesen told department heads to prepare for a 3 percent cut. That figure was revised in November to a 10 percent.
Since then, the worsening outlook has led the governor to dial up those cuts, first to 15 percent and now to up to 20 percent.
Pre-kindergarten through high school education is the only area the governor wants to protect from the deep spending cuts.
Bredesen says the budget crunch will likely require a further reduction in the state work force, either through layoffs, buyouts or extending a hiring freeze.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement