Summer school most likely will not be eliminated, as the state’s blow to Illinois public universities’ budgets won’t be as devastating as expected, according to NIU President John Peters.

NIU has been dreading a “worst case scenario” since early March when the state asked it to slash 8 percent from its current operating budget. However, the state has asked universities to place a significantly smaller percentage of their budgets in a reserve to help alleviate the state’s $4.8 billion budget deficit.

Eliminating or curtailing summer classes was one option NIU had faced to come up with the $8.6 million cut the state originally requested. Illinois public universities also have considered a continued hiring freeze and layoffs, as well as eliminating classes and reducing student employment.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected to issue his budget address to the General Assembly on Wednesday. Peters said he is waiting for Blagojevich’s plan before making final decisions concerning summer school and the future of next year’s budget, according to a letter he issued Friday.

However, the state’s budget planners have eased up on Illinois’ nine public universities since the Senate on Friday approved a measure to borrow money. Blagojevich is reportedly planning on paring down the state’s deficit by $2 billion after selling up to $10 billion in low-interest bonds. The bill easily passed through the House, but struggled to get the required three-fifths vote it needed from the Senate before being sent to Blagojevich.

Legislators representing state schools have negotiated with Blagojevich and the budget bureau for the past couple of weeks, exchanging votes to pass the bond bill for reductions in budget cuts, according to Rep. David Wirsing, R-Sycamore.

Blagojevich won the support of Senate Republican Rink Winkel of Champaign by agreeing to minimize budget cuts at the University of Illinois.

Blagojevich now may ask state schools to trim 4.25 percent of their fiscal year 2003 budgets, while the University of Illinois will have to cut 4.1 percent from its budget, according to the Chicago Tribune.

However, Wirsing indicated the state will ask the U of I for a higher percentage of its budget than other state schools because the size of its budget allows for more flexibility.

Peters said in the letter that he is pleased with the turn of events downstate, but he noted these cuts have been made on top of other cuts.

NIU’s base operating budget for fiscal year 2003 is about $110 million, a 6.3 percent reduction from fiscal year 2002’s budget. One year ago, NIU had to cut $4.9 million from its fiscal year 2002 budget, as well as $10 million from its fiscal year 2003 budget. Next year’s budget likely will undergo another 8 percent cut.

“We have a dedicated faculty and staff who have gone two years without cost-of-living salary increases; we have buildings with repair needs that must go unmet; we have larger classes, fewer support staff and aging equipment we cannot afford to replace,” Peters stated.