Quinn Threatens To Cut Education Funding By 17%
Acting Governor Pat Quinn called for an education funding cut of $1.3 billion. This is equivalent to a 17 percent cut. After stating his willingness to cut education funding, Quinn acknowledged how critical education is to Illinois economic growth. He then said he would seek a one percent increase to prevent those deep cuts to education.
Quinn ill-advisedly told legislators that the rest of Illinois’ $13 billion budget deficit should be addressed by borrowing money and by allowing existing and additional unpaid bills to continue to pile up.
What is Pat Quinn thinking? Allowing more bills to pile up could be disastrous for the state in general and Not-For-Profit agencies in particular. It can create a crisis in the lives of Illinoisans who rely upon NFP agencies for skill development and job training, alcohol and drug rehabilitation, as well as senior citizen services and child care services, Many of the delegate agencies which provide those critical services are cash strapped and on the verge of collapse. Many are likely to fail if the state does not pay them, soon.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hyNrYJihbuLqI82_T8CZVxHlYDdAD9EBVEL02
Pat Quinn, Education is nothing to play with. It is the one core state responsibility that can not sustain additional cuts. It’s obvious to me that your threat was half-hearted. However, even your insincere threat may be damaging to the already fragile and underperforming Illinois educational system.
Enough is Enough!