Jeb Bush: Education Must Face Spending Cuts

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush told a local television station that while education should be a top priority in the state, it can’t be insulated from economic realities and not face spending cuts.

A reporter from WPBF 25 News in West Palm Beach asked the Republican, who is repeatedly questioned about running for president, about a $100 million budget shortfall facing the Palm Beach County school district.

"Every district's going through the exact same thing," Bush said. "Palm Beach is not an exception, and they have to challenge every basic assumption of what they do and, hopefully, there will be money found.

“Public education should be the first priority, and it should not be saved from cuts because it's inevitable that there's going to be reductions in the size of government, but I would hope that the Legislature would try to recognize that we've got to keep the reforms in place. In order to do that, you've got to fund the reforms, and so I hope that works out."