Bulloch County School officials are happy with Gov. Nathan Deal's change of plans for Georgia's nationally recognized pre-Kindergarten program, and are ready to work through less-intense cuts and changes than Deal originally proposed.

Deal's first proposal would have preschool classes slashed in half and teacher salaries cut by 30 percent, but amid protests and backlash, he modified the proposal to reduce salaries by only 10 percent and cut back on the number of days preschool kids go to class - 160 instead of 180.

"I thought (the new proposal) is better than the first one," said Bulloch County Schools Superintendent Dr. Lewis Holloway.

Deal said Monday he would keep the preschool program full time, finding other ways to cut the budget. Critics said the original plan would have had parents scrambling to find alternatives and teachers fleeing for full-time positions elsewhere.

Deal plans instead to cut millions by trimming 20 days off the pre-K year, and expand enrollment by only 2,000 instead of the original 5,000 students, according to reports.

School officials have not yet been told how the plan will work, said Dr. Jody Woodrum, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning for Pre-K through fifth grade.

But Holloway said the pre-K year will likely begin in September instead of August, and parents will possibly be given the opportunity to pay for pre-k for that month, at a cost of around $350.

"There will be some impact, loss of time, but we're much better off than what was proposed earlier," Woodrum said.

A six percent budget cut for provisions will sting a little, but overall, the second proposal by Deal "is a much more amenable solution," she said.

Holloway said child care costs can be as high as around $500 a month, and said if parents are afforded the opportunity to pay $350 for the 20 days unfunded by the state, it could still be a savings compared to other alternatives.

But parents will have to register and have their money paid by August first, he said.

Woodrum said pre-K enrollment begins April 18, and each school will have an enrollment date, to be announced later.

"We've done a lot of listening over the last two weeks to everybody from public providers, private providers and pre-k teachers," said Erin Hames, Deal's deputy chief of staff. "The greatest concern they all have is with the half-day program."

Deal's staff estimates taking 20 days from the pre-k school year will save about $21 million . Under the revised plan, pre-k will remain a 6.5 hour a day program .

Also, each pre-kindergarten class will add two extra students, saving about $22 million, Hames said, adding that other cuts will bring the savings to Deal's original goal of $54 million.

"From day one we have worked tirelessly to make sure Georgia's youngest scholars continue to benefit from the Pre-K program," Deal said in a released statement. "It is so important that we keep Georgia Pre-K a priority in order to ensure that students are school ready and on pace to read on grade level by third grade. I appreciate the cooperative, can-do spirit of the Georgia Pre-K community. They have provided invaluable feedback over the last few weeks to help us improve our original proposal.

Holloway said Bulloch County has 19 pre-Kindergarten classes, with 380 students. One paraprofessional and one teacher is in each class.