 Such cuts will be necessary even if lawmakers agree to the
governor's call for an income tax increase, said Quinn budget
director David Vaught."This is the reality budget. This is what's
really happening," Vaught said in an interview with The Associated
Press.
Illinois faces a roughly $13 billion deficit in the upcoming
budget year, he said. That's because the state's current budget is
woefully out of balance, revenues are expected to drop and expenses
keep climbing. Pension costs, for instance, will jump by about $1.7
billion, Vaught said.
On Wednesday, the Democratic governor will announce his proposal
for filling the shortfall. Vaught would not discuss the size of the
tax increase Quinn plans to seek, but he did outline the spending
cuts -- about $2 billion.
General education spending would fall by about $1.4 billion, he
said, an 11 percent decrease. The "foundation level" of state
support for each child would fall from $6,119 now to about $5,600
next year.
Vaught estimated schools would have to lay off about 17,000
teachers.
Republicans have scoffed at Quinn's talk of education cuts,
accusing him of trying to scare voters into supporting his tax
proposal.
"I think the governor is playing a game. It's a sick game," House
Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, said last week.
Quinn also will propose $150 million in cuts to human services,
Vaught said. That means, among other things, less money for local
organizations that provide child-care services for the working poor.
Vaught estimated 6,000 children would be affected by the reduced
hours and tighter eligibility standards likely to result from the
cutbacks. Many of their parents would suffer an economic blow, he
said.
"If you take away their child care, you're also taking away their
job because they can't work," Vaught said.
Quinn, already accused by critics of endangering the public with
early release of prison inmates, isn't sparing public safety from
cuts. Vaught said the state police would lose about $32 million,
meaning fewer troopers on the roads.
The governor will also propose reducing state support to local
governments by about $300 million, Vaught said. That and the
education cuts are likely to increase pressure for cities and school
boards to raise property taxes.
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Vaught argued that over the past year, Quinn has cut waste and
made government more efficient. He said the number of state
employees fell by 1,000 during 2009. Vaught didn't mention it, but
the cash-strapped government dramatically slowed payments to schools
and local organizations hired to provide state services.
Vaught said further cuts will go beyond efficiency and hit at
core services.
The governor is generally trying to cut programs instead of
eliminating them entirely, but there are exceptions, Vaught said.
One example is halting all support for DuQuoin's World Trotting
Derby, a major horse race.
Vaught emphasized that the long list of cuts wouldn't be
necessary if lawmakers had raised taxes last year. "If they had
acted, we wouldn't be seeing these kinds of cuts," he said.
In addition to the $2 billion in spending reductions, Quinn will
propose borrowing billions of dollars to pay off long-overdue bills.
Vaught said that would still leave a hole of about $5 billion to be
filled by raising taxes or borrowing more money.
Republican legislative leaders object to raising taxes, and
Democratic leaders show no enthusiasm for tackling such a touchy
issue during an election year.
[Associated Press]
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