Northeastern Illinois University is planning to cancel three days of classes in order to cut costs as public universities in Illinois struggle to make ends meet during the state's budget stalemate. The Chicago-based university will no longer hold classes April 11, 12 and May 1.
Illinois has been without a budget for 21 months and has a bill backlog of $12.9 billion. Northeastern Illinois interim President Richard Helldobler called the state's unprecedented budget impasse a "state of emergency" for the school.
A statement from the university says administrators are also speaking with labor unions that represent their employees as school officials contemplate a schoolwide shutdown for those three dates. A complete closure would be the second wave announced by the university in less than a month. The university required its employees to take five days off over spring break.
