Illinois Education budget is proposed to be cut by 1.3 billion dollars!
Quinn wants legislators to raise the income tax to negate these cuts.
Lawmakers do not want to raise taxes for fear that they will make their constituency angry and be voted out.
Right now school districts are cutting many jobs and some are cutting less by making concessions that are much needed.
For Example : Bethalto cut 65 positions; Edwardsville, 60, including 25 teachers; and Alton, 48, including 29 teachers.
But Granite City has only cut 4 teacher positions due to the fact that the teachers gave up additional raises this year beyond increases based on seniority. Superintendent Harry Briggs credits that savings, estimated at about $500,000 for teacher salaries alone, for preventing the deep cuts that have occurred at other districts.
So there are things that can be done to help out, but everyone needs to be looking out for each other right now as well. It makes things better in the bigger picture.
