Illinois Governor Pat Quinn continues to lobby for a tax increase to prevent cuts to education.
The governor chose a school library filled with students as his setting this morning to promote his school funding plan. Quinn says Illinois needs a one percentage point increase in the state income tax. Otherwise he says the state will have to cut $1.3 billion from the education budget.
State lawmakers seem wary of a tax increase before an election. But Quinn says it’s necessary or 17,000 teachers could lose their jobs.
QUINN: There will be a vote on this. I expect the legislature to square-up and vote on the matter. They have to explain to the folks that they represent that they’re voting against education if they won’t provide the funding.
Quinn proposed a larger tax hike last year, but it was rejected by the House of Representatives. The governor says he’ll be talking to individual legislators about education funding over the next three days.