LINCOLN -- Nebraska Sen. Mark Christensen said this morning he is pleased with some things in his District 44 -- money for an educational wing at the college in Curtis ... money to pay farmers for irrigation water -- but, state aid to schools, he called that a "real frustrating setback."

Many schools in his district stand to lose substantial amounts of state aid if legislators approve a major rewrite of the formula used to distribute state funds to school districts. Christensen said that legislators, by proposing to rewrite the school aid formula so late in schools' budget and negotiating processes, have "gone back on our word."

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According to Christensen's figures, these Southwest Nebraska schools will lose state aid with a formula rewrite: Dundy County, Arapahoe, Cambridge, Southern Valley and Chase County. Dundy County's figures don't take into account students from Stratton, so, the senator said, "Those numbers are totally wrong."

McCook, Hitchcock County and Eustis-Farnam would see increases, Christensen said, although McCook's wouldn't be as large as anticipated.

If the existing formula is not changed, schools will share about $901 million in 2008-2009, up $133 million from the $768 million distributed in 2007-08.

However, lawmakers are trying to balance next year's state budget -- forecast to go $58 million into the red -- by are proposing changes in the state aid formula to distribute about $850 million, $82 million more than in 2007-2008 but $50 million less than if the existing state aid formula were used.

Christensen told those gathered at the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce's for the senator's weekly telephone call that he is disappointed that legislators are trying to "balance the budget on the backs of our schools," and are proposing to change the formula after already certifying state aid amounts to schools. "We're going back on our word," Christensen said. He suggested that senators put a year's delay on the formula change.

Christensen said that Sen. Ron Raikes of Lincoln -- Education Committee chairman and the chief supporter of the state aid rewrite -- told him that school administrators have known for about two weeks that the state formula may change, but Christensen said that no administrator he talked to said they had any forewarning of changes coming.

Jim Coady, a former member of the board of education for McCook Public Schools, told the senator that if the legislature's process can't be changed to better accommodate schools' normal yearly budget schedules, then the date by which they must complete a reduction-in-force, if needed -- April 15 -- should be changed. "The reduction-in-force date needs to be moved to May, or at least until after the state is done fooling with the (state aid) formula," Coady said. "The Legislature fooling with the budget this late in the yearly process" has happened at least four times in the last 20 years, Coady said.

Christensen said he doesn't like the approach the Legislature is taking -- "changing after the state aid is certified." However, the process continues.

Lawmakers voted 29-13 Wednesday for the new state aid formula, although Raikes promised to consider a mechanism that might temporarily soften the financial blow to sparsely and very-sparsely populated school districts, such as Dundy County.

The measure must be voted on twice more before it goes to Gov. Dave Heineman for his consideration.