It's not just an issue of whether Illinois' regional superintendents should be paid. The legal challenge now before a judge in Springfield has become a serious constitutional question.

Sangamon County Judge John Schmidt will issue a ruling Friday on whether he will force Governor Pat Quinn to pay the regional superintendents, who have not been paid since Quinn zeroed-out their money from the state budget in July.

Schmidt heard arguments from the regional superintendents and the state Thursday. The lawyer for the superintendents, Charles Schmadeke said the governor has stepped beyond his bounds.

The governor wants to pay the superintendents, but from local tax money not state dollars.

But it will be October, at the earliest, before lawmakers will be able to act on Quinn's proposal.