Chicago State president writes Rauner about critique

CHICAGO (AP) - The president of Chicago State University has written to Gov. Bruce Rauner about criticism aimed at the school by a member of the governor's staff.

Rauner deputy chief of staff Richard Goldberg sent General Assembly members a memo Wednesday complaining the school is resistant to reform.

The memo followed news that Chicago State could soon run out of money. The budget stalemate between Rauner and the Democrat-controlled General Assembly means state universities aren't getting state funding.

In a letter to Rauner on Thursday, Chicago State President Thomas J. Calhoun Jr. said the school has cut both its workforce and administrative costs.

Calhoun said Goldberg's complaints were based on an assumption Chicago State is directly comparable to other state schools. The South Side school has a predominantly black, lower-income student body.