ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer's state budget proposal on Tuesday that must deal with a deficit and declining revenues is expected to ignite a fight with the Legislature because it includes less of an increase for New York City and suburban schools than local officials had expected.

School districts statewide will see an average increase of about 7.5 percent in state aid for daily operations and construction under the budget Spitzer will present on Tuesday.

New York City schools will get $8.1 billion in state school aid under Spitzer's 2008-09 budget proposal, compared with about $7.5 billion this year, according to a Spitzer administration briefing. That includes $490 million more in operating aid, the money used to run the schools day to day, or about a 7-percent increase over current operating aid.

But that's 28 percent less aid for New York City schools than was expected under last year's multiyear proposal between Spitzer and Legislature, said Billy Easton, executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education. He said the plan intended to respond to a court order against the state for failing to properly fund New York City schools was meant to keep Albany from balancing budgets at the expense of students.

Easton and his group, which also seeks accountability measures for school spending, said he based his figure on a separate briefing by the Spitzer administration.

Statewide, the governor will propose $21 billion in total school aid, compared with $19.5 billion this year, according to Paul Francis, Spitzer's director of state operations. Breakdowns of aid to districts will be released Tuesday.

Spitzer's budget proposal will face opposition from the Democrat-controlled Assembly and the Republican-led Senate during this legislative election year. Spitzer's proposal for school aid, usually the most contentious issue in state budgets, comes when the Democrat is already at odds with the Senate's Republican majority and many Democrats.

For more on this story, ready Monday's edition of The Citizen.