The Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding applauds Governor Pritzker for committing to investing $100M more in MAP for FY24. As a diverse group of equity-minded advocates from across the state of Illinois, we firmly believe this investment in our students is an investment in the economic future and viability of our state. With this increase, we can continue down the path of ensuring more students have access to affordable higher education. 

The Governor’s commitment to a historic 7 percent increase in institutional funding is also cause for celebration, but our students cannot afford for those additional dollars to be distributed according to the status quo. Right now, virtually all institutional funding is disbursed without a system for ensuring that all our public universities have enough resources to adequately serve every student they enroll. That approach has the power to further exacerbate existing inequities in institutional funding and prevent considerable new resources from being directed to where they can have the biggest impact. 

We firmly believe that the Governor and General Assembly must consider an equitable distribution of this funding. The Commission on Equitable Public University Funding is scheduled to make its equitable funding model recommendation by July 2023. In the meantime, and as we continue to push the Commission to a model that works for all, we must do all we can to ensure resources are distributed equitably so that every institution has what it needs to help students now.