* Politico…

HOPE FOR HIGHER ED? — “GOP proposes stopgap plan for higher ed,” Rich Miller: http://bit.ly/1WcwCnC

– Rauner’s office says it supports this effort, which would draw some $600 million from an existing fund and divert it to stopgap higher ed spending and provide one semester’s worth of MAP grant funding. It would also include changes in procurement code, something the governor’s office has sought.

GLIMMER OF HOPE — House GOP Leader Jim Durkin tells Illinois Playbook that it isn’t all doom and gloom in Springfield: “Contrary to what the press reported last week, I felt the meeting of the leaders produced some positive results. More so than I’ve seen in a long time. I felt better about the level of discussion, I felt better about last week’s meeting than I have in some time. There was some progress made.” Durkin could not get into specifics: “I will leave it at that.”

Subscribers know more, but the train is definitely starting to chug a bit. Keep your fingers crossed.

*** UPDATE 1 ***  I’m told by a Rauner administration official that the budget office estimates that the Education Assistance Fund will have $600 million available to fund higher education by the end of Fiscal Year 2016. The Fortner plan and another pushed by House Black Caucus members both rely on the EAF for funding.

Here’s a comparison of what the two plans do…

*** UPDATE 2 *** Two House Republicans have now signed on as hyphenated co-sponsors of Rep. Mayfield’s bill, Reps. Norine Hammond and Reggie Phillips.

Things are moving.

       

30 Comments - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 9:27 am: It’s great to hear, and it’s greatvto hear Leader Durkin be optimistic with substance behind the remarks. I hope. - Toffee - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 9:31 am: Fingers crossed. - JS Mill - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 9:32 am: My concerns about this being another lever lost without a long-term solution in place (similar to how the K-12 appropriation took the pressure off of the governor) is offset by the avoidance of further damage to higher ed and social services. - Norseman - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 9:40 am: JS Mill +1 - DuPage - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 9:46 am: Any money for the community colleges in the bill? - JS Mill - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 9:51 am: Given the U of I’s endowment and it’s overall financial condition in general giving them a smaller percentage would not be a terrible idea. It would free up funds to make some of the schools in the most dire condition a lot more financially stable or add even more to the MAP grants. MAP grants would flow back to all of the schools including the U of I. If, giving the U of I less makes them shaky, I would not support hat concept as I am on;y supposing based on a cursory level of understanding of their finances at best. - RTR - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 9:51 am: More good news: A green shoot of a different kind seems to be sprouting at the Illinois Policy Institute. Anyone notice that on their Twitter feed today they are touting the state’s job growth numbers? (Even though the unemployment rate went up.) Usually they strain to find the grey cloud behind the silver lining. Is this the start of Rauner’s “Illinois-is-on-the-rebound” pivot? - Formerly Known As... - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 9:53 am: ==draw some $600 million from an existing fund== It has funding in place, includes IMSA, ISU, NIU, U of I, MAP grants, and broadly helps higher ed. The General Assembly should keep this train rolling. - independent - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 10:06 am: So we restore higher Ed but not homeless youth, rape crisis centers etc. We need a full-fledged restoration of everything!!!!! - Anonymous - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 10:12 am: DuPage - money for MAP will benefit community colleges just as it will private institutions and public universities. - Honeybear - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 10:15 am: I second JS Mill. I’m wincing waiting for the other shoe to drop. Where’s the anti-union poison pill? Keep looking. I wonder where it’s going to show up. - Langhorne - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 10:22 am: I am happy to see anything that can be counted as even incremental progress. But it is still a sorry situation when a choice between 5 winners/7 losers and one third funding for the list, is an accomplishment. Its an air pocket along the floor while the house is still burning. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 10:38 am: If they appropriate in equal 1/3rds to the struggling universities it will be utter madness. The reality is that some are in far worse shape than others. If they give these 1/3rd appropriations what are the odds they EVER give the other 2/3rds? EIU, CSU, and WIU have no reserves whatsoever with which to wait for FY17 funding which likely won’t come rapidly if at all. Essentially, some of these schools needs their FY16 nearly in full so they can coast through part of FY17 while the GA dithers. Don’t forget too that Rauner’s proposed FY17 cuts a school like EIU by another 8M bucks. So over two FYs, with only this 1/3rd likely ever coming, a school like EIU will be shorted by 27M in FY16, a cut of another 8M in FY17 by Rauner, no repaid MAPs for FY16 at 7-8M, all totaling roughly about 42M over two FYs. That is like losing an entire FY’s appropriation for a school like EIU. - Jimmy H - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 10:40 am: This needs to happen now, funding now! Fall enrollment will be down even with funding. Though no funding within next couple weeks will be the last nail. Chicago state cannot wait. May 1st is the last day for high school, but remember- enrollment has been proceeding for several weeks now. Don’t forget the people that lost their jobs, funding now will save many of them from ruin. - MSIX - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 10:44 am: I agree with JS Mill and Anon@10:38 that there needs to be a middle ground between the two proposals. The U of I can absorb a hit far easier than the smaller schools. Some realistic, need-based percentages would make more sense. - Jimmy H - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 10:52 am: MSIX, I think the U of I currently has over $1 billion in reserves, if accurate, they could certainly absorb a hit. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 10:54 am: Somebody needs to get these stop-gap people, Rep Mayfield, and the university presidents in a room and start crafting that middle ground. EIU, WIU, SEIU, and CSU will be right back in the same sinking boat under the stop-gap approach, but this time having burned their life jackets (reserves). They won’t last the academic year if FY17 budget grinds to a halt. Per Mayfield’s committee hearing today she has already asked the universities what they need and her bill represents the answer. So why give money to them at the cost of the schools who are failing just to be able to call something “comprehensive” and pretend to be making responsible policy? Responsible and smart policy would be to help those in the most danger more than those that are stable into FY17. - illini - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 11:01 am: Very glad to see that there is serious discussion being given to this problem. Yet it seems to me that there are still some who want to pick winners and losers. - A guy - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 11:33 am: The ember has started. Blow on it. Don’t spit. - Mama - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 11:41 am: “Is this the start of Rauner’s “Illinois-is-on-the-rebound” pivot?” Lets hope it is. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 11:47 am: Illinois has long been picking winners and losers among universities. That is why places like WIU and EIU get less funding per student enrolled compared to others. Winners have been picked long ago. This is about universities’ and their towns’ survival not “winning” or “losing.” - illini - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 12:29 pm: Anonymous @ 11:47 — maybe I could have been a bit more precise and expansive in my remarks. But you are correct in the impact that this is having and will have on the local economies. Yet, when higher education is fairly and adequately funded the local communities will do well. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 1:28 pm: ===Two House Republicans have now signed on as hyphenated co-sponsors of Rep. Mayfield’s bill, Reps. Norine Hammond and Reggie Phillips.=== Funny how destroying your economic engine for months and months finally gets those representing college town worried about “vote accordingly” Don’t misunderstand, I’m really pleased. Happy. The fact it took legislators this long, they better understand, it’s now… … the here and the now. Your districts and your economic engines. Do the Fix. OW - Rural stuff - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 2:11 pm: They need to add community colleges who serve a majority of students in higher ed but get no where near the majority of funding. MAP also doesn’t help them as much as many think. It can only be used for tuition and the universities charge the most. Privates win in that scenario. - Honeybear - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 2:14 pm: OW- I don’t see Kay on there. Why would he stay off the list? Especially since his opponent is an SIUE instructor. I would think that would help to neutralize her. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 2:21 pm: - Honeybear - Dunno. It’s that simple. I dunno. - Mason born - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 2:26 pm: As an aside which may or not bear on Kays decision. I spoke to some staff at SIUE they were told SIUE itself can get by with the student funds and research grants. However SIU Carbondale cannot and is significantly worse off financially. Their concerns revolved around how much “help” they were going to be expected to give to the Carbondale campus. - Honeybear - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 2:48 pm: Good thoughts Mason born. I also just remembered that Kay was holding a fundraiser at the Chamber of Commerce soon. Thus that is his crowd and I imagine he’s given up on SIUE. He probably wasn’t going to get them anyway. I think I just answered my own question. - Macomb resident - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 3:00 pm: So is Norine Hammond finally starting to listen to her constituents? I have been calling almost daily and reminding her aide that we are watching. - Norseman - Tuesday, Apr 19, 16 @ 3:18 pm: Macomb resident, good work, but don’t let your guard down. Still a lot of work to be done. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.