Gov. Nathan Deal says he wants to add 10 days to the state's prekindergarten calendar this fall, restoring half of the days he cut to help save the program in 2011.
Deal told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday that he wants to increase the number of days 4-year-olds are in lottery-funded pre-k, which will raise teachers' salaries by about 4 percent. The move means the state will have 2,000 fewer slots for children, or about 84,000.
State officials say not all of the 86,000 slots for pre-k were filled this school year. The move has to be approved by state lawmakers, who gather Monday for the start of the legislative session.