MATTOON - As the state budget battle went into overtime Wednesday, two local educational facilities took different actions in response.

The Mattoon Area Adult Education Center closed its doors for the first time due to state budget cutbacks, center director Mark Nelson said. The action, reportedly the first in the 44-year-history of the educational facility, was necessary with no guarantee of state funding at the opening a new state fiscal year, he said.

"We have been threatened with shutdowns before, but it never got to this point," Nelson said. "We've mothballed the building until someone tells us different. We are closed because we have no indication we have money to operate for now."

The shutdown also affects the Lake Land College adult education program connected to the center, Nelson said. It results in the layoff of eight employees for now. It also ended the scheduling of any summer classes for GED or other programs, he said. Throughout the year, the center helps with education and training for scores of people in East Central Illinois. It also provides child care for many students.

Nurse's aide classes still are maintained in a separate building to the north of the main facility on Lake Land Boulevard because those classes have a different source of funding, Nelson said.

While Nelson ordered a locking of the doors, Lake Land College President Scott Lensink said it was a wait-and-see situation, with the college falling back on working cash to fill any funding shortfall from Springfield.

"I'm still worried about the last state fiscal year. The state still owes us $5.3 million from that budget," Lensink said.

What helps the college is that two other sources of funding - tuition and property tax revenues - are doing well. But the state budget limbo puts some decisions on hold on budget planning for the college district, he said.

"The worst problem is how do you plan based on the uncertainty of the state budget? When I was a vice president under Dr. (Robert) Luther, we used to have our budget ready in April." Lensink said. "Right now, we don't know what is going to happen on funding. Some projections say we could be down as much as $2.5 million."

hmeeker@jg-tc.com|238-6869.