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Re: Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff

Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2017 10:03 am
by leatherface
Past behavior generally points to future behavior. Likely a stop gap measure to save K-12. Throw some money at higher ed, and then raise taxes to help bail them out of their incompetence.

Re: Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 4:31 pm
by Neckfansince71
From the looks of things, past behavior will know longer cut it basically because Cullerton has laid down the gauntlet this time announcing that "there will be no stop gap measures!" jc

Re: Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 9:23 am
by wiu712
Sad sign of the times: The Superintendent of the Springfield School District announced yesterday that they could open this fall, but would run out of money by January if state government fails to approve an education budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Springfield is owed about $10 million from the state in categorical payments. The funds are supposed to re-imburse school districts for transportation and special education costs.

Re: Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 1:00 pm
by leatherface
From Fox News site- calling Illinois a Banana Republic:


Illinois will not meet a court-set deadline Tuesday to increase spending on backlogs of Medicaid payments, pushing the problem off until the end of the month as the state’s unprecedented budget impasse is on the verge of entering its third straight fiscal year.

Medicaid talks will continue past Tuesday, with a new deadline set for June 28 — just two days before the final deadline for the state legislature to agree on a spending bill during a special session, an attorney said late Monday. The new fiscal year begins July 1.

Illinois owes Medicaid providers $2 billion for care provided to more than 3 million people — a small sum compared to the state's total unpaid bill of $15 billion — or 40 percent of Illinois' operating budget. After being unable to pass a spending bill for two straight fiscal years, the state has been functioning on appropriations since 2015.

Failure to strike a budget agreement by the end of the state legislature’s annual session on May 31 resulted in a critical credit downgrade for the country’s fifth largest state to Baa3, the lowest of any state and only one level above non-investment grade — also known as junk. Illinois has received 8 downgrades in as many years and most states are rated at least 8 levels higher, according to Moody’s.

The state’s backlog of unpaid bills will skyrocket to $28 billion by June 2019 without a deal, Moody’s predicted, which would rack up even more interest and penalties than what is already owed. Even if a deal is reached, state debt and taxpayer dues will both likely increase.

More from FOXBusiness.com...

Re: Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 1:07 pm
by leatherface
Really a sad, sad time. I hope no-one from Illinois ever makes fun of Arkansas, Alabama or Mississippi as being poor southern states with little growth. At least they can pass a budget. :)

Re: Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 3:25 pm
by Neckfansince71
I am constantly going to the "Capital Fax' website to keep up with what is happening in Springfield. To me it looks like the governor is going to take full advantage of the results of the next 10 days! ;) jc

Re: Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 6:22 pm
by Neckfansince71
So unity and compromise!!!!!! A compromise is an agreement that both sides agree upon. The "grand bargain was a compromise/agreement that was arrived at in the senate and yet Rauner basically put the cabosh on it. Is he really willing now to go with a reallllllllllll compromise?

Not sure how everyone else feels, but I am very happy that WIU has decided to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to the future! I know Dr. Thomas did not include a lot of specifics in his address, but he did state once and for all that WIU was here to stay. I like that message!

Let's get this budget done so we can move ahead! ;) jc

Re: Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 7:23 pm
by Neckfansince71
After hearing the Gov's "unity" speech I found this Democratic reply on Twitter. I am sure there is truth in statements that both sides have made, but this comment is a bit unsettling!

SPRINGFIELD – Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) issued the following statement in response to Governor Rauner’s “unity” address:

“Three months ago, the Senate was just hours away from passing the bipartisan budget and reforms of the Grand Bargain when the governor came in and demanded that the Republicans back out of the deal. His actions effectively destroyed the months-long attempts at senate unity and prevented the two-year-long budget crisis from being resolved.

“Now, with just 11 days left in the fiscal year, the governor is calling for unity while running attack ads on Democratic legislators? It's absurd. The Senate Democrats already did the hard work of passing a balanced budget with the non-budgetary reforms the governor demanded and he still refuses to end the impasse.

“Governor Rauner has made it clear that he has no interest in unifying legislators and passing a balanced budget. If he did, he would be talking to leaders and legislators from both parties instead of giving phony speeches and spending millions of dollars on political ads attacking the very people he claims to want to unify.”

Again, I am not going to take sides except WIU's side! Thoughts? Comments? Oh I am glad it has come to the point that K-12 is threatened by this impasse. Soccer and PTA Mom's are a group that you do not want to cross politically! :D jc

Re: Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 10:04 pm
by Neckerchief
Three months ago, the Senate was just hours away from passing the bipartisan budget and reforms of the Grand Bargain when the governor came in and demanded that the Republicans back out of the deal. His actions effectively destroyed the months-long attempts at senate unity and prevented the two-year-long budget crisis from being resolved.
I guess I don't understand. It takes 30 votes to pass something in the Illinois Senate, and there are 37 Democrats. How can the Republicans stop anything?

Re: Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff

Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 10:20 am
by wiu712
The special session of the General Assembly starts today. It would be nice to see a good outcome.

Last night, Gov Rauner gave a 3-minute speech about "unity and compromise". But at the same time, he has been running attack-ads against Mike Madigan.

I am betting that Illinois would not be in this current mess if the Republicans had nominated Kirk Dilliard in 2014 instead of Rauner.