AUGUSTA — Gov. John R. McKernan has given department heads a goal of cutting 10 percent as a “starting point” for negotiations to slash $125 million from the state budget, the administration said Monday.

Agency directors have been asked to submit outlines reflecting the cuts within 10 days as the administration prepares to further pare the state budget, said Willis Lyford, the governor’s spokesman.

“These are not proposed cuts. They are sort of a starting point for the governor in discussions on budget-cutting,” Lyford said. “It’s perfectly clear that this is not going to be his proposal.”

The Legislature is facing a Thanksgiving deadline for eliminating a $125 million budget gap that could result in the elimination of some state programs and agencies.

“There’s obviously going to be some adverse reaction to any type of budget-cutting,” Lyford said. “But the time has come when we can’t nibble around the edges. We’re going to have to make some wholesale changes.”

Some department heads were notified of the governor’s request on Friday, and the rest were told Monday, Lyford said. “Everyone is going to have to participate in this exercise,” he said.

The hardest-hit by the governor’s targeted cuts would be the Department of Education, which would face additional reductions of $39 million, according to the governor’s office.

Education Commissioner Eve Bither declined to speculate on the impact, but said any cuts will be “very painful.”

“I think all of us know this is going to be extremely difficult because we already made severe cuts going into this year. There’s isn’t anyone who realized this won’t be very painful,” Bither said.

The preliminary reductions also would cut the Department of Human Services by $27 million; Department of Corrections, $4.9; University of Maine System, $11 million; and Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, $10.8 million.

Even with 10 percent across-the-board cuts, the reductions would still leave around $12 million in additional cuts to eliminate the total shortfall for the fiscal year, Lyford said.