Illinois Universities Warned Of ‘Dire’ Budget Cuts
The head of the Illinois Board of Higher Education has issued a budget warning to the presidents of the state's public universities after meeting with Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner's budget transition team.
The Springfield bureau of Lee Enterprises newspapers obtained an email that Executive Director James Applegate sent to the presidents. It says the schools need to prepare for state funding cuts of up to 30 percent.
Applegate says in the email that the budget team has asked the schools to prepare budget recommendations for fiscal year 2016 with a 20 percent reduction.
He says they also may be asked to create spending reserves of between 5 and 10 percent of existing budgets for the remainder of fiscal year 2015.
A spokesman for Rauner, Mike Schrimpf, told The Associated Press that the Republican's transition team was not ordering budget cuts but seeking information on how a rollback of the state's temporary income tax would affect state agencies.
University administrators say the news wasn't a surprise.
Links
- Who’s Tim Killeen? Meet U of I’s 20th President
- U of I Names Timothy Killeen Next President
- Higher Education’s Ties with Banks, Impact on Students
- Pension Law Could Mean Mass Retirements At State Universities
- Universities Offer Partial Illinois Pension Fix
- Most Illinois Universities See Small Funding Increases
- U Of I To Provide Merit-Based Raises In 2014
- Legislation Could Make Illinois Colleges Smoke Free
- Illinois Colleges To Be Smoke-Free Indoors And Out
- Salaita Sues U of I Over Emails, Expects More Legal Action
- Kilgore Could Return To U Of I, Following Trustees’ Decision
- U of I Trustees Wrap-Up: $180K Bonus For Easter, Gov. Quinn’s Budget Pitch, Med School Plans
- U of I Foundation Receives Increase in Donations
- Freshman Enrollment Drops At U Of I