MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- A state Senate committee has approved an education budget that reduces funding for K-12 schools and higher education next year.

The Senate Finance and Taxation-Education Committee voted Wednesday to approve a $5.5 billion education budget for the 2012-2013 school year that is about $150 million smaller than this year's budget. The state expects to take in about the same amount of education revenue next year as this year, but a state law enacted last year limits how much can be spent in order to build up a reserve. That's why the proposed budget is less.

The budget cuts K-12 schools slightly more than 1 percent from this year and universities nearly 5 percent.

The governor sought to cover some Medicaid costs in the education budget, but the committee rejected that.