Educators Prepare For Wide Funding Swing In State Budget - MIKE MOEN, Northern Public Radio

Budget battles will soon get underway in Springfield. Several possible scenarios could play out under Illinois’ next spending plan. That includes deciding what to do with the expiring income-tax hike. The situation is leaving educators with more uncertainty than usual. It was two weeks ago when Governor Pat Quinn delivered his budget address at the Illinois capital. Even though it didn't receive heavy focus during the speech, the part that stood out to many was the governor’s mention of the state's income-tax hike, which is scheduled to expire in January. Quinn wants to make permanent the current rate of 5-percent. He says letting it roll back would result in significant budget cuts. The governor reiterated that point when he visited Northern Illinois University last week. “We will have a budget decline of about 12-million dollars for this university, right here,” Quinn said. http://northernpublicradio.org/post/educators-prepare-wide-funding-swing-state-budget