The governor approved about $25 million in cuts to the current year’s state budget last week — and Republican legislative leaders say the budget plan they’re crafting for next year will be “a little bit bigger” that this year’s pared down spending plan.

Senate President Charles Schneider, a Republican from West Des Moines, is also leading the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“People just need time to figure out where they can accommodate each other to get to the same place,” Schneider told reporters last Thursday.

House Speaker Linda Upmeyer of Clear Lake said Republican lawmakers are “fairly close” to making key decisions on how large next year’s state budget will be and how large the GOP’s tax cut package will be.

“Once one is determined, then the other one can move very quickly,” Upmeyer said.

Upmeyer identifies education, health care, courts and corrections as the core functions of state government. She said managers in other areas of state government may agency budgets “move backward” next year.