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SIU president spreads rumors of 8 percent hike for higher education

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Illinois

Now for some good news: [SIU System President J. Kevin Dorsey] said next year’s state budget is rumored to be very favorable to Illinois public universities.

“People are talking about an 8 percent increase or more,” in the state’s contribution to public universities, Dorsey said. In Fiscal Year 2019, the state funded SIU Carbondale at about $87 million.

If a state budget is approved in early summer and Dorsey’s projections are confirmed, the university could receive a $7 million budget bump for next school year.

But don’t expect a spending spree, Dorsey said.

SIUC must still repay over $20 million in loans it received from the greater SIU system during the 2016 budget impasse. SIUC sought the loans from other SIU institutions to cover the massive $73.4 million dollar cut in state funding between Fiscal Year 2015, a fully-funded state budget, and FY 2016, when Illinois was budgetless.

The current governor is leaving the state with $6.6 billion in unpaid bills, a billion-dollar hole in the current fiscal year’s budget and a projected $2.8 billion hole in next fiscal year’s budget.

An eight percent increase for higher ed would equal about $143 million. The GOMB projected a mere 1 percent hike, despite the governor’s late campaign promises of cranking up the spending.

I’m not saying an 8-percent hike isn’t going to happen, but everybody probably needs to look at reality first.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 1:03 pm

Comments

Social Services in Illinois need an 8%! No increases for agencies for ll years now. Just paltry raises for direct service staff.

Comment by retired guy Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 1:08 pm
==leaving the state with $6.6 billion in unpaid bills, a billion-dollar hole in the current fiscal year’s budget and a projected $2.8 billion hole===

This is going to be the graveyard of many campaign promises. Pritzker will be lucky to get all this paid off in 4 years while keeping the rest of state government on life support.

Comment by Jibba Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 1:12 pm
JB’s Turnip Truck: No reservations. Blood supplies limited.

Conveniently parked outside JB’s Magical Money Tree Farm.

Comment by City Zen Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 1:24 pm
Its doable if it comes out of capital bill. That has been mentioned tossing higher ed into capital bill.However WIU is still needs a lot more….a lot.

Comment by Not a Billionaire Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 1:35 pm
Was the number 8 chosen… because it looks cool?

Why not 9? I think 5 is a cool shaped number.

Maybe be glad we have a governor that will at least sign bills where monies are allocated to higher ed.

Baby steps.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 1:40 pm
JB must know something that millions of IL residents don’t know.

The governor and the legislature are leaving the state with all of those unpaid bills along with the massive pension obligations.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 1:41 pm
Ugh…

===People are talking===

That doesn’t necessarily mean the transition team, the Gov-Elect, or anyone connected to governing

It’s… “People”

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 1:42 pm
Maybe what he meant to say was “SIU will turn into a community college without an 8% increase in higher education funding”?

Comment by So_Ill Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 1:50 pm
8% to my local SD would likely save 7th period for Freshmen and a bunch of other stuff. Just saying.

Comment by OneMan Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 1:51 pm
===8% to my local SD would likely save 7th period for Freshmen and a bunch of other stuff. Just saying.===

This is in regard to higher ed, not K-12.

Comment by historic66 Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 1:55 pm
This reads like Dorsey trying to conjure something, but he strikes me as 100% not that slick.

Comment by LXB Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 2:16 pm
No talk in December about the next year’s budget for higher ed has ever come to fruition, only in April or May at the earliest can HE have any hint about how the legislature is leaning. Sure, IBHE and the Governor and others say things about the HE budget, but most years those things never matter and the legislature does its own thing.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 2:19 pm
==a “spontaneous” movement by Democrats will emerge to increase income tax to 6.95%.==

That wouldn’t surprise me at all. Then in 2020 he can push for the constitutional amendment for a progressive income tax. Of course, the proposed tax rates will be a reduction for most, but only because it’s based on the 6.95% rate, not 4.95%.

This is exactly what how they tried to sell the progressive tax plan back in 2014: They based the new plan on the higher and expiring tax rate.

Nice catch.

Comment by City Zen Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 2:21 pm
Committing to an increase for higher ed now (Dec-Jan) is an important signal to put out for HS seniors who are deciding where to go next fall. It indicates a stability that has been absent for years and that lack of stability is one of the drivers pushing students out of the state.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 2:47 pm
Go big or go home, Mr. Dorsey says right before heading home.

Not sure why one would do this. If 8 percent doesn’t materialize, Dorsey has just shot his credibility and will look like a failure.

Don’t make predictions on things you can’t control.

Comment by Leigh John-Ella Monday, Dec 3, 18 @ 2:57 pm