Wolf's original budget proposal had sought a 9 percent increase in spending, to $31.6 billion, plus a $3.2 billion package to reduce school property tax bills and a new $426 million-a-year rent rebate benefit for renting households earning $50,000 or less.
Lawmakers are settling on a spending plan of about $30.75 billion, up about 6 percent, but without any package to reduce school property tax bills or expand rent rebates.
Wolf originally sought a big bump in education spending: $400 million more for public school operations and instruction, a 7 percent increase, plus $120 million more for early-childhood education programs, $100 million more in special education funding and $160 million more for higher education institutions, including state system universities, state-related universities and community colleges.
Wolf wanted the new money for public schools to be distributed according to how state education aid was cut in the 2011-12 budget under Wolf's predecessor when the poorest districts took the brunt of the cuts.
Lawmakers ruled out higher taxes on the natural gas industry — Wolf says he'll renew his pursuit of that in his next budget proposal, due in February — and they rejected plans to raise state income or sales taxes to expand rebates to local school property tax payers.
Republicans also opposed Wolf's plan to slash the corporate net income tax in half because of how he wanted to restructure the way it is collected to close a perceived loophole.
