They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending.

The council is responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending.

The council members serve four-year terms and are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget and special spending.

Watchdog groups say that earmarks have contributed to lobbying abuses as contractors and others seeking the special spending go to extremes to win support from influential lawmakers.

Along with a four percent spending increase - contingent on school districts adopting new teacher evaluations - the budget includes changes to student busing and special education spending.

For the 2012-13 budget year, Central Valley School Board applied for 2 exceptions to exceed the Act 1 Index: pension costs and special education spending.

For the 2012-13 budget year, Bald Eagle Area School Board applied for two exceptions to exceed the Act 1 Index: teacher pension costs and special education spending.

Soon after Sept. 11, Congress authorized special spending for local security and, as is its custom, insisted that a significant portion - about 40 percent - be disbursed equally among all 50 states.

And Gov. Mario M. Cuomo said that the legislators' plan included $60 million for so-called member items, or special spending earmarked for pet projects in lawmakers' home districts.

While the federal government has released $5 billion of the promised $40 billion in special spending, half of that is going to the Department of Defense and to repair the Pentagon, the comptroller's office said.