SPRINGFIELD - Gov. Rod Blagojevich Tuesday called on lawmakers to return to the Capitol next week to deal with education funding and a statewide public works program.

In a release, the governor suggested that the Legislature spend Aug. 12 discussing school funding. He offered no specific policy changes, other than to say he remains opposed to raising income taxes as a way to boost education spending in Illinois.

"We want to give the Legislature an opportunity to talk about it," spokesman Lucio Guerrero said.

Blagojevich is directing lawmakers to spend Aug. 13 dealing with the stalled statewide construction proposal, which has been reduced from $34 billion to $25 billion to appease lawmakers who are opposed to using an expansion of gambling as a revenue souce.

"Now that they have had time to review our proposal, I will convene a special session so that they can pass a plan this summer that will repair and rebuild our states infrastructure and put Illinoisans to work," Blagojevich said in a statement.

Major hurdles, however, stand in the way of the General Assembly getting anything substantial accomplished next week.

Following is a rundown of some of the roadblocks that face lawmakers:

Crowded quarters

With the Illinois State Fair underway, some members of the Legislature are concerned there will be few hotel rooms available.

Although a quick check of three on-line hotel booking sites found ample rooms as of Tuesday evening, the fair doesn't get into full swing until this coming weekend.

Prison meeting conflict

Tuesday also is the day of a hearing in Pontiac to discuss the governor's proposed closure of Pontiac Correctional Center.

Members of the House and Senate who serve on the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, which is conducting the hearing, will have to leave Springfield no later than about 3:30 p.m. if they want to arrive in Pontiac in time for the start of the 5 p.m. hearing.

They also have the option of breaking the interstate speed limit or flying to the event if things run long at the Statehouse.

Vacations

State Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, is among those who had planned a family vacation next week. He doesn't intend to cancel it.

Nothing on paper

State Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, said it is a long shot to think lawmakers will be able to resolve their long-standing differences over a statewide construction plan in just one day.

He said it's tough to analyze the latest changes to the plan because it remains more a conceptual plan, rather than an actual piece of legislation.

"They need to put the proposals on paper," Bradley said.

State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said attempting to address a major issue like school funding reform in one day is foolhardy.

"It's just wishful thinking," Brady said. "Without a plan, we're not going to get anything accomplished."

The money question

Aside from those concerns, Brady said holding special sessions in Springfield costs money at a time when the governor is cutting programs from the budget.

"Where are the dollars are coming from?" Brady said.

On top of that, Blagojevich doesn't have a good track record when it comes to forcing lawmakers into action.

"If you look at the history of these special sessions, they haven't been very fruitful," Brady said.