Gov. Bruce Rauner on Friday followed through on his vow to veto a measure that would free up $721 million for community colleges and scholarships for low-income students, saying again that the state can't afford to pay for it.
The Republican governor presented his veto as a matter of priorities, saying the bill would take away money from social service providers who care for the state's most vulnerable residents. Rauner repeatedly has criticized what he says are large administrative costs of higher education, and he wants to tie funding for colleges and universities to performance goals such as graduation rates.
Democratic Senate President John Cullerton said the governor's decision was disappointing, especially after Rauner acknowledged the importance of funding education in his budget address.
Read more at The Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-bruce-rauner-vetoes-college-funding-met-0221-20160219-story.html