Georgia school officials spent Wednesday afternoon trying to cut up to $13.7 million from the state Education Department's budget.

State schools superintendent Kathy Cox shared a plan to freeze open positions, cut back on travel and halt purchasing new materials.

"This is extremely difficult," Cox said during the State Board of Education meeting. "But the reality is I don't believe we're at the bottom of this economic downturn. ... We're just going to have to work through it and work through it together."

Gov. Sonny Perdue ordered all state departments to cut 6 percent from their budgets as part of a plan to deal with a projected $1.6 billion budget shortfall. State officials say tax revenue is down because of the weak economy.

Cox shared a proposal to slash the Georgia Department of Education's budget by 6 percent, 8 percent and 10 percent. The cuts range from about $8.2 million to about $13.7 million.

The state Education Department reductions come from a pool of money separate from the student funding the state's 180 school districts receive. Georgia school systems are already slated to lose about $150 million from the state's Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding.

Local school districts will feel the QBE cuts more than any reductions done within the state Education Department, spokesman Dana Tofig said.

"Our cuts may not be felt directly in the classroom, but the department is getting leaner, and we won't be able to do as much," he said.

In the past, staff members would drive to South Georgia to provide training to just two teachers, he said.

Now the state Education Department will require schools to organize a larger pool of teachers, possibly from neighboring school districts, to participate in the training to make the trip financially viable, Tofig said.

State board members are scheduled to vote on the cuts today. The plan must be submitted to the governor's office by Sept. 2.