"I think Governor Quinn dealt with you in an unfair way. He used the word 'heartless' to refer to my plan. I think it's heartless to make you the scapegoat for this," Brady said.
"We've got to have a 1-percent surcharge for education. I have the guts, the fortitude, and the courage to tell the people of Illinois the truth," said Quinn.
Brady blamed Quinn and his Democratic predecessor, Rod Blagojevich, for thousands of lost jobs in Illinois.
The two candidates debated before the Illinois Education Association's Representative Assembly, where the theme was save our schools.