Legislation Seeks To Close The Adequacy Gap At State Higher Education Institutions

Illinois State Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford during a press conference announcing the filing of SB 3965. PHOTO BY EUCAROL JUAREZ, ADVANCE ILLINOIS.
Illinois State Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford during a press conference announcing the filing of SB 3965. PHOTO BY EUCAROL JUAREZ, ADVANCE ILLINOIS.

Legislation Seeks To Close The Adequacy Gap At State Higher Education Institutions

By Tia Carol Jones

Legislators in Illinois have taken up the cause of getting more state funding for public higher education. Illinois State Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford and Illinois State Representative Carol Ammons recently announced the filing of SB3965, the Adequate and Equitable Funding Formula for Public Universities Act.

According to Advance Illinois, SB3965 outlines a formula that would identify what each university can afford to spend, based on current state appropriations and an estimate of the tuition and fees a university can and should collect from its students, as well as other available resources. This legislation is spearheaded by the Illinois Commission on Equitable Public University Funding, which was created by legislation Lightford passed in 2021.

“Throughout my career I have been committed to making sure every young person can live up to their fullest potential and follow their dreams,” Lightford said.

Lightford said a college degree is a powerful tool to unlock opportunities and it is critical that the State of Illinois ensures that every student who is interested can pursue and earn a college degree. She added that most colleges do not have the resources they need to support the most vulnerable students. She said Illinois graduates roughly 66% of its undergrads but only 41% are Black students, 55% are Latino and 51% are from low-income households.

“Despite education’s paramount importance, the disparity in funding among higher educational institutions remains dreadfully evident. This imbalance not only undermines the principle of equal opportunity, but also hampers our collective progress as a society,” Lightford said.

Lightford added that the legislation that led to the creation of the Illinois Commission on Equitable Public University Funding, there was a call for the state to address the disparities in access, affordability and completion, as well as the historic underfunding of Illinois universities and the disproportionate impact on students of color. The 33-person commission tackled those issues and developed a student-centered funding approach that identifies the resources each university needs to support its unique student population.

The new approach in SB3965 creates stability and builds on current funding and would establish a yearly increase that would provide consistent and stable funding, which would bring the system to full funding in the next 10 to 15 years. It would also bring about greater accountability and transparency to ensure state dollars are used that effectively meets students’ needs. Lightford said that Illinois universities need roughly $1.4 billion in additional funding, and with the Commission’s recommendations, the bill calls on the state to invest $135 million in new dollars in universities each year for the next 10 years. She added that while the work will not be easy, the time to act is now and the bill should be passed now.

“We applaud Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford and Representative Carol Ammons for their continued leadership in imagining a better future and in holding our state accountable for how well and how justly it supports its public universities and in turn, our students. It was an honor to serve on the Commission, but the work will not be done until Illinois adopts a new, more adequate, equitable and sustainable formula,” Robin Steans, President, Advance Illinois, said in a released statement.

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