Illinois' new budget includes a 6% reduction in higher education spending. For Northern Illinois University, that means a cut of more than $6 million.
Lori Clark is NIU's director of state and federal relations. She says the decrease in funding follows a decade of dwindling support from the state.
"It's very difficult to continue to operate, particularly when the state is so slow in paying their bills" Clark said.
Clark says NIU is still waiting on more than $30-million in payments from the fiscal year that just ended. She says the state is extending the payment cycle to make good on the overdue bills.
Meanwhile, Clark says the finance department is reviewing the latest cut. She anticipates many of the school's belt-tightening policies from recent years will remain in place.
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