JACKSON — Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is set to announce a second round of state budget cuts, only five months into the fiscal year.

Barbour will announce the reductions during a news conference Thursday afternoon in Jackson.

Figures released this week showed that in November, Mississippi's tax collections fell short of expectations for the 15th month in a row.

In September, the Republican governor cut about $172 million out of the nearly $6 billion budget. He has said since then that more cuts would be needed — and this round of reductions might be as big as the first one.

Education advocates worry that schools, community colleges and universities could suffer if they lose more money.