The Georgia Department of Education is trying to hammer out how to slash up to $171 million from the state's K-12 budget.

The state school board is expected to take up the issue during its monthly meeting Wednesday and Thursday. Gov. Sonny Perdue announced the cuts Aug. 1 as part of a statewide strategy to deal with an expected $1.6 billion shortfall this fiscal year.

Other state departments are being cut 6 percent. The state also is withholding $428 million in homeowner tax cuts planned for this year to make ends meet.

State officials have said tax revenues are down nearly 1 percent for the fiscal year, which began July 1. That's after a year of lagging revenues that forced Perdue to use $600 million in