©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| Teleconference in Galesburg Wednesday on Proposed U of I Extension Cuts -- LINKS AVAILABLE HERE |
The state budget crisis has taken its toll on the University of Illinois, and those cuts are even affecting county extension offices. Now, the public will have a chance to provide its input on what should, and shouldn't be done.
Knox County U of I Extension Director Tony Franklin says a series of public meetings and public hearings are being held around the state, with the first of the area meetings being a teleconference Wednesday night starting at 5:30 at the Knox AgriCenter on South Soangetaga Road.
One of the proposals is to combine a number of area extension offices, like the one in Knox County, with others in neighboring counties, and Franklin tells WGIL that certainly would save on expenses.
"What we're looking at is trying to cut, the way it was explained, 70-percent of our expenses...in personnel, and 10-percent of our expenses in utilities," Franklin said. "With that, we need to try to figure out what's the best avenue that we have to utilizedthe highest percentage of expenses coming out of those two areas."
Franklin says the University of Illinois Extension as a whole has a budget of $65 million, which is a combination of state and federal money along with some grants. He says any cuts are not, and should not, be a reflection on the work of the local educators and support personnel.
Only teleconferences will be held in Knox County Wednesday and on March 11th. In-person public meetings close to the area are scheduled for March 4th in Macomb and Princeton at the McDonough and Bureau County Unit Offices.
For more details about the proposed cuts, CLICK HERE.
To e-mail your comments to the state Extension headquarters, CLICK HERE. |
|
| 02 24 10 by Newsroom |
Click here for the WGIL News Archive
Click here for national news
The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.
