A state commission in Illinois is studying the funding formula for the state’s community colleges.
The Adequacy and Equity in Community College Funding Working Group’s members include Spoon River College President Curt Oldfield along with other community college presidents, chief financial officers, faculty members, and others.
Oldfield said community colleges are supposed to get one-third of their funding from the state, one-third from property taxes, and one-third from tuition, but that the state has not held up its end of the bargain.
“So what ends up happening is that students pay more in tuition to offset the lack of revenue from the state of Illinois,” Oldfield said.
He said 10 percent of the revenue in SRC’s new budget comes from the state. 35-percent is from property taxes, and the rest from tuition.
Oldfield said federal financial aid has helped ensure a community college education remains affordable for many students, but it’s not enough to help everyone.
“We are seeing where there are pinch-points for students who are choosing to not attend college because affordability is a barrier for them,” he said.
Oldfield said the panel will look for ways to increase revenue. It will also look for ways to cut expenses. He said, for example, there are many unfunded mandates that are proving costly to community colleges.
The group is scheduled to make its recommendations to the governor’s office early next year.
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