$1.4 Billion Funding Gap: Illinois Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Rescue Public Universities

Illinois lawmakers have introduced Senate Bill 3965 to address a $1.4 billion funding shortfall for public universities.

Illinois Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Address $1.4 Billion Funding Shortfall in Public Universities

As the new school year begins, Illinois lawmakers are pushing Senate Bill 3965 to improve funding for public universities in the state. Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford and Rep. Carol Ammons, who both lead the Illinois Commission on Equitable Public University Funding introduced the bill on July 30. This bill aims to fix a $1.4 billion shortfall in university funding. It proposes adding $135 million each year for the next decade to close the funding gap within 10 to 15 years.

The need for change comes from a major drop in state funding which fell by 22% or $528 million from 2015 to 2023 when adjusted for inflation. Universities have had to rely more on tuition fees, which now make up 65% of their income. However, with student enrollment dropping by 15,000 since 2012 especially among Black and lower-income students relying on tuition is no longer enough. Even though the University of Illinois has frozen tuition rates for the next academic year tuition and fees have still increased by an average of 115% from 2000 to 2021.

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Northern Illinois University Seeks Solutions to Ensure Quality Education and Support Services

This funding problem is hitting schools like Northern Illinois University hard. President Lisa Freeman of Northern Illinois University which has over 15,000 students is worried about how the lack of funds affects the quality of education and support services. The new bill aims to fix these problems by changing how funding is distributed and making sure universities get the support they need, according to the report of The State Journal Register.

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