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More than half of Illinois' state schools are on the ropes enrollment-wise. Meanwhile, the cost of operating them is going up. Student enrollment at Illinois public universities is down again this year, but state budget outlays for the 11 schools is up.
It's not the paradox it seems. Intense competition for students today is forcing states to spend more on recruiting, financial aid and facilities. Illinois has been on the losing end of that battle, with a net outflow of college-bound students in a trend that shows no signs of letting up.
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
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I can see an Illinois kid choosing Colorado State over Illinois State. Or Arizona State over Illinois State. But what kid in Colorado or Arizona would choose Illinois State?
Hahha, like some Democrat government plan can stem the exodus. That’s funny. The best and brightest kids are leaving – and I know this because I talk to their parents – because it’s the same price, or cheaper, to attend an out of state school as compared to any public or private school in Illinois. The only public school choice for high achievers is UIUC and it’s over $30,000.00 a year. The rest of the state universities are dumps; Southern? come on. Same goes for western or eastern. Northern is just a community college with a campus. The private colleges… Read more »
And then they also get the added perspective of spending time outside of Illinois, where many of them realize that most states are in much better shape than here. Good luck getting them to come back after that.