SR0303 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0303 LRB096 13106 NHT 27473 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, There are 39 public community college districts serving all 102 counties within the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Within the 39 community college districts, there are 48 community colleges, serving nearly one million Illinoisans annually; and

WHEREAS, Over the past decade, enrollment at the 48 community colleges has increased by more than 20%, and the role of the community college has expanded dramatically; and

WHEREAS, The system serves displaced workers, students in adult education, students learning English as their second language, students seeking transfer degrees, students seeking certificates and degrees for immediate employment, and students with degrees returning to upgrade skills; and

WHEREAS, 81.2% of all high school remediation is done at community colleges, making the colleges the frontlines for ensuring that students have the technical aptitude, including functional math and science knowledge, to fill jobs; and

WHEREAS, More than 75% of all minorities in Illinois public higher education attend a community college; and

WHEREAS, In the Fall of 2007, total enrollment figures for Illinois community colleges showed that just under 40% of its students were minority students; and

WHEREAS, Nearly 12,500 students with disabilities and 66,000 students with limited English proficiency are served annually at an Illinois community college; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that by the end of this decade, 85% of all jobs in the State of Illinois that are capable of sustaining a middle-class lifestyle will require access to post-secondary education; and

WHEREAS, According to an economic impact study done by the Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies in 2007, more than 8 out of 10 employers hired a community college student at some point during the 10-year timeframe of the study; and during that same timeframe, there was a 62.9% increase in students completing community college programs; and

WHEREAS, According to the study done by Northern Illinois University, students who completed their Illinois community college education in Fiscal Year 2005 and worked full-time realized a 31% increase in earnings over their pre-enrollment wages; and over the course of a lifetime, a 25-year-old graduate can expect to see a 55% increase over the projected $1.2 million in total earnings he or she would have earned had he or she not completed an Illinois community college program; and

WHEREAS, President Obama has urged every American to commit to at least one year of postsecondary education, and according to Georgetown University's Center for Education and the Workforce, at least 54% of the new positions created by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will require at least a postsecondary certificate; and

WHEREAS, In the State of Illinois, 64% of all students attending public institutions of higher education attend a community college, while only 13% of State instructional funding is appropriated to community colleges; and

WHEREAS, The philosophy of funding community colleges' dates back to 1965 when the Public Community College Act was created, and it is based on the concept of shared responsibility between the State, local community college district residents, and students; and

WHEREAS, The generally accepted goal of one-third of the costs being distributed equally has shifted to a burden on students and local taxpayers; the current statewide funding ratio is 40% local taxes, 32% student tuition, and 28% State funds; and

WHEREAS, Nine out of 10 Illinois community college graduates live, work, pay taxes, and raise their families in Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that there is created a Task Force on Illinois Community College System Funding for the purpose of reviewing the present community college system and making recommendations to the Senate pertaining to whether the community college system is adequately funded; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force on Illinois Community College System Funding shall study the impact that the present funding system for community colleges has on both regional and racial diversity in the Illinois community college system today, including, but not limited to, reviewing the process of how community college capital projects are ranked by priority, and make recommendations regarding any improvements that are necessary to make the funding system more equitable; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force on the Illinois Community College System Funding shall consist of the following members:

(1) 2 co-chairpersons, each a member of the Senate, with one appointed by the President of the Senate and one appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate;

(2) 4 spokespersons, with 2 appointed by the President of the Senate and 2 appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate;

(3) 2 members of the Illinois Community College Board appointed by the Illinois Community College Board;

(4) 2 members who are statewide educational labor union representatives from a 2-year higher education institution, with each member appointed by the union that he or she represents;

(5) 2 community college trustees appointed by the Illinois Community College Trustees Association; and

(6) 4 chief fiscal officers of Illinois community colleges from the following regional areas of the State: (i) one chief fiscal officer from the City Colleges of Chicago appointed by the Chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago; (ii) one chief fiscal officer from a community college in a non-metropolitan county in the central region of the State, as determined and appointed by the Illinois Community College Board; (iii) one chief fiscal officer from a community college in a non-metropolitan county in the southern region of the State, as determined and appointed by the Illinois Community College Board; and (iv) one chief fiscal officer from a community college in a metropolitan county in the northern region of the State, as determined and appointed by the Illinois Community College Board; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force on Illinois Community College System Funding shall serve on a voluntary basis and shall be responsible for any costs associated with their participation on the task force; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force on Illinois Community College System Funding shall meet initially at the call of the co-chairpersons of the task force, in consultation with the Chairperson of the Illinois Community College Board, and thereafter as necessary and shall report its findings and recommendations to the Senate by filing a copy of its report with the Secretary of the Senate no later than December 31, 2009; and that upon filing its report, the task force is dissolved; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Chairperson of the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois Community College Trustees Association, and the Chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago.