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“We are at a tipping point”

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Illinois

* From a letter to the governor and the four leaders from the Illinois Council of Community College Presidents…

We write to each of you today to ensure that you are fully aware of the damage that has been and continues to be inflicted on the students and communities that rely on the State’s Community College system.

The lack of a budget over the course of the last two fiscal years has caused hundreds of layoffs of valued staff and faculty, closure of programs, and divestment of services that our system has slowly, dutifully, and methodically built over the last half century. Understand that the ultimate victims of this budget impasse are the students, the families, and the communities that are no longer served as they should be and as they once were. The damage is both real and measureable.

We are at a tipping point. If this impasse continues, the consequence will be profound and lasting. Payrolls will not be met, programs will be closed, staff and faculty will be reduced to mere shells. To be clear, we are far beyond the point of reducing administrative costs, and suspending travel.

Without a reliable and consistent budgeting process, Colleges will close and students will be turned away. We can’t use regulatory relief nor the repeal of unfunded mandates to pay our employees.

We urge cooperation and resolution to this matter as soon as possible.

Emphasis added to show that the presidents apparently don’t care about getting anything out of the Turnaround Agenda. They just want their funding.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 2:31 pm

Comments

Rauner won +4 seats in the IL House.

Rauner won +2 seats in the IL Senate.

Once Rauner closes Eastern, Chicago State, and weeds out what othe state universities and junior colleges can be eliminated…

… then… then this letter will matter.

Elections have consequences. Many colleges, junior colleges included are going to learn this the hard way.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 2:34 pm
Oswego Willy, people voted accordingly. Your party lost. Your act is stale. Please take some time to reflect and come back when you have new material.

Comment by Thunder Fred Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 2:38 pm
=== Emphasis added to show that the presidents apparently don’t care about getting anything out of the Turnaround Agenda. ===

Don’t care or rather don’t expect to get anything out of th TA? I suspect the latter.

Comment by Norseman Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 2:40 pm
- Thunder Fred -

Raunerites picked up +6 seats, not Republicans.

Don’t read my comments, if you don’t like them.

The drive by ignorance today is getting out of hand.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 2:41 pm
Vote Accordingly applies to the GA, not just the General Election results, Thunder Fred.

Comment by Anon221 Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 2:51 pm
===Rauner won +4 seats in the IL House.

Rauner won +2 seats in the IL Senate.===

SIU Voted for Raunerites. SIU deserves Raunerites.

Comment by Anon Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 2:55 pm
===Emphasis added to show that the presidents apparently don’t care about getting anything out of the Turnaround Agenda. They just want their funding.===

I would agree with this. I’d add that this letter is pointed just as much toward the Speaker and the Majority. Given the election outcomes, that drumbeat is going to get louder and more public. I don’t think any agency cares who they embarrass at this point. The criticism has been mostly reserved for the administration to date. I sense that’s about to change dramatically.

Comment by A guy Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 2:56 pm
Letters like this don’t concern the Governor. They energize him.

Comment by Cubs in '16 Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 3:04 pm
Regardless of which group they deal with, the Rauner Administration believes that schools, colleges, and non-profit groups are so overwhelmed by regulations that by eliminating red tape, these institutions can easily get their various missions accomplished in a revenue neutral way. They just don’t get it.

Comment by 100 miles west Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 3:04 pm
Hey jim and christine–
That “starve the beast” thing is working great. Right?

Comment by Langhorne Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 3:09 pm
===SIU Voted for Raunerites. SIU deserves Raunerites.===

I have very little sympathy now for the state universities, the towns, and sadly for the junior colleges, even the ones that have non-Raunerite members elected to “represent” them.

If Eastern and Chicago State close, and one SIU campus may devolve and shrink and Western gets discredited…

… I guess they do.

Elections have consequences.

Rauner fooled everyone once, now in Rauner’s “midterm” the college towns wanted more(?)

… ok.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 3:09 pm
The aims of the items of the Turnaround Agenda seemed aimed at map reform and private businesses, so of course a bunch of government funded and run colleges don’t care about what they won’t benefit from.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 3:10 pm
Poor form to use a memo format versus a formal letter.

That said, I think it’s going to take some closures to make these threats real to the Governor Rauner and the General Assembly. The Governor and four leaders have yet to put a face on their collective intransigence, and the day of reckoning is here. The CC presidents have to make this threat a reality, and they can do so by announcing closure of the colleges at the end of the fall semester. Otherwise the threat is another meaningless gesture.

Comment by Commonsense in Illinois Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 3:10 pm
Yet BVR does care about education - just take a look at the Family Foundation.

I’m sure Harvard ( $500K ), Dartmouth, Stanford and Yale( at $250K each ) appreciate his largess. In Illinois, only National Louis University was so fortunate to the tune of $100K.

I guess there are priorities!

Comment by illini Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 3:18 pm
If “The damage is both real and measureable,” then please give the measures, the verifiable data. I don’t doubt the veracity of what the letter states, but give us the data. Prove your point.

Also, “elections have consequences” is really getting tiresome. If elections did not have consequences, there would be no need for them. Every action has a consequence.

Comment by My New Handle Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 3:18 pm
–I would agree with this. I’d add that this letter is pointed just as much toward the Speaker and the Majority.–

That passed funding for community colleges, as Republicans and Democrats have for decades….

—The criticism has been mostly reserved for the administration to date.–

…that zeroed out by veto funding for community colleges.

Do you get dinner and a movie, or just a mint, afterwards?

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 3:35 pm
- My New Handle -

UIUC is now down $750 million and climbing.

How’s that for impact?

As for “Elections have consequences”…

… it’s “ridiculous” letters like this that the writers fail to see what is happening and why and they ALL think “but I’m too important!”

Ask social services.

Elections have consequences. While you may be tired of it, maybe others haven’t quite learned it.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 3:37 pm
They should just raise propert taxes to cover their shortfall just like every other unit of local government did last year.

Comment by Winnin' Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 3:49 pm
=They should just raise propert taxes to cover their shortfall just like every other unit of local government did last year.=

In practice and outcome your statement is wrong.

Maybe some were able to close the gap that way but Universities do not have the capacity to levy property taxes.

Many districts and local governments are limited by PTELL.

You need to do a bit of research my friend.

Comment by JS Mill Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 3:59 pm
My point is that I have seen, even written, letters before very much like this. A lot of hand-wringing rhetoric but no numbers. How much are the CCs losing? Which districts have lost the most? How many students have had to drop out because of no student aid, or affordable daycare, etc.? Show the pain.

As to election consequences, had Quinn been elected, we could say the same about consequences. They would have been different consequences, but consequences nonetheless.

Comment by My New Handle Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 4:09 pm
===Do you get dinner and a movie, or just a mint, afterwards?===

Actually I have a smoke. lol.

Keep your eyes peeled for where their rancor goes. I’ll be here. In the afterglow.

Comment by A guy Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 4:17 pm
In Macomb, there were tons and tons of Norine Hammond signs. There were businesses in Macomb with Norine Hammond signs. There was a podiatrist in Macomb with a Norine Hammond sign. There were many WIU employees who voted for Norine Hammond. Norine’s opponent was a serious candidate who gave her a run for her money. But the threat of further damage to WIU without a state budget, dropping student enrollment, declining regional population, and a shrinking economy as WIU withers, did nothing to sway local Republican voters. I scratch my head.

Comment by Brain Freeze Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 4:22 pm
Guy, perhaps you could explain how a governor who is going to bend the global economy to his will and bring “dozens” of new manufacturing concerns to Illinois will do so by zeroing out community colleges.

Whose mission is to offer continuing and vocational training to provide local businesses with an educated workforce.

I’m sure that’s a big point of discussion among GOP precinct captains in that sweet wine cellar at DuPage Community College.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 4:26 pm
Go easy on blaming the university towns.

We are hopelessly gerrymandered here. There was no way my “college town” could possibly have voted against Rauner. We are in several districts, all of which are overwhelmingly Republican and stretch far away from our university.

That said, Dems have failed to make the obvious case that Madigan had budgets with a whole series of incompetent and/or criminal Governors. This crisis is Rauner’s doing and none of Madigan’s. Prior to the cancellation of the temporary tax increase we were on a solid path. But nobody knows that and Republicans can purchase whatever version of “reality” they like.

We have never assumed we were “too important.” It would help if our Presidents would blame the Governor more, but we all know why they can’t.

Comment by HistoryProf Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 4:44 pm
President-elect Trump says he will cut federal taxes. Is he for real? Who knows. But say he does, the Congress goes along, and then the state comes in and takes a bite of that, but there is a net decrease in citizens’ fed-state tax bill. If Illinois badly needs revenue, this could be the best we-Illinois and its citizens–could hope for. A win-win of sorts.

Comment by Cassandra Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 4:46 pm
zero out community colleges? or revamp them. cause they are in need of revamping. higher ed in Illinois has to be viewed from the whole and community college administrators take a bit more of the pie than perhaps they should. an actual analysis would be a nice thing, including how CCs are based geographically. the public in general does not really knows where they all are. you know, maybe, your local, but as an entire entity, nope. lots of analysis needed for the lots of community colleges that exist. what is really needed to educate the workforce?

Comment by Amalia Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 4:51 pm
The higher ed system was designed in the postwar era. It is no longer sustainable in its current inefficient structure. Can’t tell that to these high-paid jr.college people who dream of turning their schools into comprehensive 4-year universities. No, I don’t think continuing the same funding without consolidations and mergers into the existing state regional universities makes sense.

Comment by Chad Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 4:52 pm
–No, I don’t think continuing the same funding without consolidations and mergers into the existing state regional universities makes sense.–

Oh, there’s a plan?

When can we see it?

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 4:56 pm
Glad doubled checked. Thought Miller was author.

Comment by The Fox Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 5:24 pm
Take a look at how Georgia merged several large nearby community colleges into Georgia State.

Comment by Chad Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 5:44 pm
Macomb is hopeless. When the mayor and business community support Hammond, WIU’s days are numbered.

Comment by Skeptical Monday, Nov 14, 16 @ 7:21 pm
Brain Freeze and Skeptical-

I agree with you. A present WIU VP who happens to be a Macomb area native had a Hammond sign in his yard. What gives? How to explain voting against one’s best interests? My theory: Macomb is a “good ol’ boy” community and is is going to get what it deserves, as much as it pains me to say that.

Comment by illinoised Tuesday, Nov 15, 16 @ 6:42 am
To elaborate, a 30 second spot describing the plight of the universities (how many dollars they didn’t get) a simplified example of their impact (direct & indirect jobs) with a promise to fully fund the Universities, make tuition affordable, and invest in local community colleagues to give our kids the careers and futures they deserve.

Ya know, facts and reasons to care about them.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Nov 15, 16 @ 9:44 am