State budget woes sting WIU - Lainie Steelman, McDonough County Voice

On Thursday, Illinois Governor Rauner vetoed all higher education appropriation bills included with the state’s 2016 fiscal year operation budget. Among the casualties: Western Illinois University. According to Western Budget Director Matt Bierman, Western’s vetoed appropriation was an 8.6 percent, or $4.5 million, reduction over the 2015 fiscal year appropriation of $52.6 million. In a WIU news release, university president Jack Thomas said, “We must now wait to see if the General Assembly will consider legislation to override the Governor’s veto, or if this will be a catalyst for new budget discussions in Springfield. We will continue to work with the both the Governor and the General Assembly to assist in solving the State’s financial difficulties.” The university has already implemented necessary budget reductions, according to the news release. http://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/article/20150630/NEWS/150639950