Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner's proposed budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 includes substantially less funding for Northern Illinois University compared to the last full state budget enacted in Fiscal Year 2015. The proposed FY2018 appropriation for Northern Illinois University, for example, is $77,428,800. That's a 17 % reduction from the $93,189,500 allotted to NIU in FY2015.
On the other hand, if enacted, it would be a marked improvement over the last two years. According to figures in the proposed budget, actual appropriations to NIU totaled just $26, 403,200 in FY2016, when no budget was passed.
A "stopgap" funding plan enacted for the first half of FY2017 appropriated $48, 293,000 to the school, but there is as yet no deal -- and no new money -- on the horizon for the remainder of the current fiscal year.
