ALBANY – The school aid shuffle continues in Albany, where Budget Director Robert Megna this afternoon announced plans to short school districts another $1.5 billion in June.

Megna told reporters that Gov. Paterson will ask lawmakers to allow him to delay a portion of the massive $3.6 billion school aid bill due June 1 until later in the month. The authority, which Paterson wants Legislature to OK Monday, would avert a cash crisis at the beginning of next month, Megna said.

Paterson plans to at the same time release $2.1 billion in school aid withheld in March.

If approved, the move might also remove pressure from lawmakers who had been widely looking at the looming crunch as a deadline to pass its weeks overdue 2010-11 spending plan.

“Without a budget, we’re going to be continually confronting this same kind of thing because we’re still only delaying the inevitable,” Megna said.

Although hardly a surprise in light of Wednesday federal court order, Megna confirmed the next round of weekly emergency spending bills would include $7.9 million to include scheduled four percent pay hikes for state workers. The budget director, however, said the legislation would not include $26 million to restore wage hikes stripped in previous weeks.

The bill also would not include the $30 million-a-week forced furloughs, which U.S. District Justice Lawrence Kahn blocked until both sides can argue whether the issue is constitutional May 26.