Public universities in Illinois continue to lobby lawmakers in hopes of preventing deep cuts to education. On Tuesday, State Comptroller Leslie Munger toured Northern Illinois University to get a sense of what a 31 percent reduction in state funding would mean to the school.
“Our funding, as we know, in Illinois is challenged to say the least,” Munger says, “And a lot of the universities and public education areas are concerned about cuts, going forward. and so I think that just helping understand what the needs are and talk to people about different opportunities we have to collaborate and try to fill some of these gaps that the state has been having difficulty funding now.”
Munger told NIU officials she doesn’t think the school will take the full 31% hit: she says that’s just the starting point in budget negotiations. However, she expects cuts at some level to help the state tackle eight-billion dollars worth of overdue bills.
