PRINGFIELD, Ill. -- An estimated 15,000 teachers and union workers from throughout Illinois descended Wednesday on the state Capitol, chanting "raise my taxes" in an attempt to pressure Gov. Pat Quinn and lawmakers to avoid major budget cuts.
But the biggest Capitol rally since the era of the Equal Rights Amendment more than a quarter-century ago met the reality of a jittery General Assembly where lawmakers are leery of voting for a tax increase in an election year and lurching toward an early exit from Springfield as soon as May 7.
Local teachers at the rally included Lisa Lafrank, of Collinsville.
"It gives me goose bumps," said Lafrank, a second-year special education teacher who is bracing for a second round of layoff notices at her school district. "You realize there are so many other organizations facing the same cuts and have the same problem."
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