The Maryland Senate and House of Delegates have less than two weeks to reach a compromise on their differing versions of the state budget, and the biggest battle could be whether to push costly funding of teacher pensions to the counties instead of the state.

The biggest difference between the chambers’ bills relates to the funding of teacher pensions. The Senate wants local governments to gradually take on a portion of teacher pension payments starting by 2012, saving the state $63 million in the first year and $330 million by 2015, according to a legislative fiscal analysis. The state will pay about about $1 billion to the pension in the coming year.