Posted by Monique Garcia at 5:30 p.m.
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican rival Bill Brady participated in a heated debate today over education and how to fund it.
Both men appeared before the annual meeting of the Illinois Education Association, where Quinn was cheered for his proposal to raise the income tax to prevent major education cuts and Brady, a state senator from Bloomington, was booed for his support of an employee owned retirement system for educators.
Quinn said he was the only candidate running for governor with the "fortitude to go out there and tell people we need to make sure to invest in our education. "
But Brady said Quinn was offering a false choice by threatening education cuts if he doesn’t get a tax increase, saying educators and school children were being made "scapegoats" for the state’s budget problems.
Brady said the state must learn to live within its means, especially during difficult economic times, while focusing on building the tax base through private sector job growth.
Quinn shot back that Brady’s plan "didn’t sound like any kind of investment in education to me."
Quinn also attacked Brady’s record of leadership at his home construction business, saying he "has a heck of a better record" of attracting jobs to Illinois than Brady, who was forced to cut his company staff as the recession gutted the construction industry.
Brady later said Quinn’s comments proved he was "out of touch" about the struggles business owners are facing.
The men were also asked about their stances on teaching creationism in the classroom. Quinn said he was opposed to schools requiring the subject be taught, while Brady said it was a decision that should be made at the local level.