FRANKFORT — Lawmakers convened Monday for a special session determined to pass a budget within five days, but there were a couple of surprises and a couple of potential potholes in the road ahead.

“I can’t speak for the General Assembly, but I think I can speak for the House,” said House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg. “We will adjourn on Friday.”

Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, and Gov. Steve Beshear said lawmakers should pass the governor’s compromise proposal this week. But Stumbo said there are a couple of changes in the version the House will introduce. The House will not include state matching money for districts which have category five schools – those rated in the worst condition in the state – and pass an additional five cents of local property taxes for construction.

Stumbo said that plan does not “adequately address” the problem because some poorer counties still couldn’t generate enough money to build the schools. Instead, the House budget will fund a study of the state’s school needs and the process of categorizing them for replacement.

“We don’t think it’s fair to say to Robertson County and Jackson County and some of these poorer districts that you can’t have your school because there’s not a bond pool there to help you pay for it,” Stumbo said.

The change does not affect equalization of additional taxes already passed in Boyd County and Glasgow. The legislature has historically matched such extra effort on the local level and they will in the Boyd and Glasgow districts in this budget.

The other change, Stumbo said, is to allow the Health Policy Board to devise state employee health insurance plans rather than changes the legislature contemplated. The cost will be the same to the state’s general fund.

The potential potholes in the road to ending the session this week are disagreements between chambers on the road plan and questions about a bill to allow sampling of bourbon at tourist events. Stumbo said the two chambers have been trying to work out an agreement on the road plan and the House will pass both a road plan and a separate bill to fund the cabinet’s operations should the road plan fail in either chamber.

The budget compromise includes some provisions favored by the Senate – no significant new debt and retaining two instructional days in the school calendar the House had dropped to save money. Beshear’s plan will pay for one and ask local districts to pick up the other.

It does not include charter schools, something Education Commissioner Dr. Terry Holliday wanted as part of the state’s federal Race to the Top application for funding. Beshear said Monday he’d still like to see charter schools, but the important thing is to pass a state budget.

Rep. Harry Moberly, D-Richmond, introduced a bill o charter schools – the legislature can’t act on it unless Beshear adds it to the agenda – but Stumbo said he didn’t think there is time to take on a complicated issue he called “a pretty major policy change” in five days.

“I think most people want to do this (session) as quickly as possible,” Stumbo said.

Rep. Jesse Crenshaw, D-Lexington, agreed – “We need to pass a budget and we need to get it done in five days.” Crenshaw wants a road plan, too.

“I hope the road plan gets through in five days too,” said Crenshaw. “If it doesn’t, you’ve got the same problem – people are going to say you didn’t get the job done.”

During the regular session this spring, the two chambers couldn’t agree on a budget plan, but both sides thought they had the stronger political case. But after going home without a budget, most concluded constituents were equally outraged at both sides and the anti-establishment mood of the electorate in an election year makes most lawmakers impatient to pass a budget and get in and out in the minimum five days for a special session which costs $64,000 a day.

Ronnie Ellis writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort, Ky. He may be contacted by email at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow CNHI News Service stories on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cnhifrankfort.