The ongoing state budget issues in Springfield have, quite possibly, gotten on the president of Carl Sandburg College's last nerve.

The CSC Board of Trustees last night approved a tentative budget for the 2009 Fiscal Year, but not until after hearing from college head Tom Schmidt that while the '09 budget that the Illinois House likes includes a funding increase for community colleges, and while the Governor wants no increase in funding, he's learned that the state may not pay $25 million owed to the community college system in this fiscal year.

Basically, Schmidt says he's fed up not just with the Governor, but also with the entire Illinois Legislature, from local lawmakers right to the top.  "It's time to stop the nonsense," Schmidt said.  "There are human beings who are proverbial ping-pong balls blowing in the winds of incompetence in Springfield.  And at this point in time, I've gotten to a point, from my perspective, where I attach that label to each and every body that draws a paycheck from within the legislative process in the State of Illinois.  Because it no longer matters what their intentions are."

Schmidt says especially after last year's legislative session that extended into this year, he'd love nothing more to see lawmakers actually pass a budget on time, since, after all, units like of local government like CSC have no choice but to do.

He calls the state budget process "a hell of a way to run a railroad."

The $15.5 million CSC budget, with a possible two percent decrease in spending next year, will be finalized and voted on June 26th following a public hearing.