Ok, so we have the $4.6 billion in cuts that need to be made to the next Washington State budget, which takes effect in July.

But we also have $1.1 billion in cuts that need to be made to the current Washington State budget before July. Toward that end, Governor Christine Gregoire and state legislators, in a special session on Dec. 11, cut $558 million from the current budget. Today Gregoire is spelling out how she wants legislators to get all the way to $1.1 billion when they convene for their regular session in January:

• Elimination of additional state funds for kindergarten through 4th grade class size reduction efforts for the entire 2010—11 school year, saving $42.1 million.

• Reducing levy equalization payments to eligible districts by 6.287 percent for Fiscal Year 2011, saving $18.0 million.

• Shifting part of the June 2011 apportionment payment to school districts from the last business day of June 2011 to the first business day of July 2011. This will result in $253 million in savings in the 2009—11 budget.

• Elimination of the Basic Health Plan beginning March 1, 2011. All insurance subsidized through the Basic Health Plan will be eliminated, which affects 66,000 individuals, saving $26.8 million in General Fund-State and $21.3 million in other funds.

• Elimination of the Disability Lifeline Grant and Medical programs, saving $43.5 million in GF-S and $22.6 million in federal funds.

Gregoire says these proposed cuts are "just as painful" as those she proposed in her budget for the next two-year funding cycle—a budget she recently described as immoral.