“Champaign may need to cut another million,” News-Gazette, August 30
City budgeters expect it is “very likely” they will need to cut at least another $1 million from this year’s fiscal plan, and officials are hoping it will have a minimal impact on services.
But if revenues continue to decline as they have for the past several years, then the budget gap could grow, and residents may start seeing reductions in city services, said Finance Director Richard Schnuer. City administrators have started reviewing each individual department’s budget and are developing a contingency plan for up to $6 million in cuts if necessary.
“UI hit hard by budget cuts,” Daily Illini, August 29
Students may be noticing less printed documents, more streamlined course offerings and larger class sizes at the University this semester. Budget constraints on many of the campuses, colleges and departments have left some areas of study with no other options.
Joyce Tolliver, associate professor of Spanish and chair of the Urbana-Champaign Senate Executive Committee said that it has become necessary to rethink how the campus works.
“It is already a challenge to try to balance what we’re doing now with the dwindling resources that we have,” Tolliver said. “And I don’t mean to say that we’re cutting into the core academic mission, it’s just that right now we really have to think about ways that we’re going to protect it.”
“Urbana schools rehire dozens of staffers laid off in spring,” News-Gazette, August 29
The Urbana school district laid off a total of 139 employees in the spring. It has been able to hire 94 back, including 22 teachers and 72 support staff.
The rehiring has been done as the district has learned about state grants that will be intact for the coming school year, said Gayle Jeffries, assistant superintendent for human resources.
“Sustainable student-run farm to premiere tomorrow,” Daily Illini, September 1
The three-acre farm is part of an initiative to have locally grown produce consist of 30 percent of all food eaten on campus by the year 2015, as determined by the Illinois Climate Action Plan.
Branham said the farm, which started last year, currently provides for about 2 percent of the campus’ total consumption.
“Quinn, Brady on Illinois’ minimum wage,” State Journal Register, September 1
The rhetoric in the race for Illinois governor heated up Wednesday when Gov. Pat Quinn accused his Republican rival, state Sen. Bill Brady, of wanting to slash Illinois’ minimum wage.
But Quinn overstates Brady’s past comments, while Brady has created confusion by trying to finesse his views.