Lawmakers got testy during a budget hearing in Springfield yesterday as they considered how to break the news to their local school districts that a 10 percent cut in General State Aid (GSA) may be on the way. Some, however, seemed incapable of accepting the fact that -- barring passage of an income tax increase -- the budget ax is going to fall on schools. Among them is State Rep. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) who, as Illinois Statehouse News reports, dismissed the talk of cuts as a "scare tactic" on the part of Democrats. “The general state aid formula is sacrosanct, and for good reason," he said. "You don’t take this out of the hides of kids."
But if Rose considers himself the protector of school funding, maybe he should take a closer look at the man he endorsed for governor. While frustratingly vague on the details, Republican State Sen. Bill Brady's proposed budget solution includes no tax increase and a 10 percent across-the-board cut that appears to include education spending.
There were harsh words in the heated debate on a House bill that
requires the Department of Human Services to see how much it costs to
print pictures on LINK cards. 