In February, State Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-70, introduced Illinois House Bill 5037, which would create the Fixing Illinois Higher Education Funding Act to study higher education funding amid statewide lower enrollment.
Only three out of 12 public universities in the state, including the University, have higher fall enrollment than two decades ago. State data show a decrease in undergraduate enrollment of over 6% since 2006, and while numbers are increasing in recent years, they have yet to return to what they were.
According to Keicher, current budget increases are applied equally, a funding formula that he says rewards lower-enrollment schools.
“We’re rewarding failure because those institutions that are shrinking are receiving more money per student, despite their results,” Keicher said.
In the University’s case, Keicher says this skews “funding (it) may be entitled to.” His proposed act would more closely examine the various factors involved in higher education funding, providing data for lawmakers moving forward.
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“The Board of Higher Education shall study the cost drivers of State universities and develop a comprehensive, 10-year plan to ensure the long-term performance and sustainability of higher education,” the bill read.
The bill outlines eight factors to be studied, including how universities spend public funds, trends of funding versus enrollment numbers and in-state tuition changes compared to other states.
Keicher hopes this will be the first step toward improving possibilities for higher education in the state. This could also include reimagining programs at schools with declining enrollment, such as increased trade school opportunities or the consolidation of teacher training programs.
“We should be thinking outside the box in order to give the students that are coming through the Illinois institutions the best possible opportunity to experience excellence,” Keicher said. “I don’t think … the current method (in which) we fund is answering the problem that’s there.”
Keicher also mentioned the issue of lower birth rates since the 2008 recession. With a shrinking college-age population, he believes it is even more important that Illinois rethinks its approach to higher education.
HB 5037 already has bipartisan support — one of its co-sponsors is a Democrat from Illinois’ 80th District, Rep. Anthony DeLuca. Keicher remains optimistic that the bill will continue to have wide appeal.
“I don’t see a ton of opposition, but I know it will arise because people get very territorial when we talk about higher education,” Keicher said. “Who should be opposed in government to being fiscally responsible?”
Despite his optimism, Keicher says he was advised not to advance the bill until the fall or spring of 2027, pointing to other issues the general assembly needs to address first.
