Democratic Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford introduced the legislation, S.B. 3965, on July 30. State Representative Carol Ammons, also a Democrat, introduced the bill in the House.
The bill would grant public institutions of higher education $6,000 per each black or American Indian student they accept, $4,000 per Hispanic student, and $0 for white and Asian students, according to a Washington Examiner op-ed by Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
Gonazlez pointed out that the quantity provided per Hispanic student is lower than that given for black students, even though Hispanic Illinoisans' degree attainment rate is lower.
Ammons told Campus Reform that "[t]he under-representation of Black students in our public colleges and universities are the result of an old system - our proposal changes that. The allocation formula we seek acknowledges a number of factors that may impact a student's journey to and through higher education, and seeks to support them accordingly."
Asked why the bill would not pay colleges and universities anything for Asian students, Ammons told Campus Reform that "[t]he research did not show a gap in attainment for Asian students. Our proposal looks at gaps in enrollment, retention, and graduation to identify the necessary adjustments."
Ammons did not directly address why Hispanic students would generate less money for schools than black students despite their lower degree attainment rates, saying: "[W]e will not engage with any rhetoric that pits one minority population against another. The data is clear: Black and Hispanic students are under-represented in public higher education. Our funding formula, which finally allocates to the needs of students, will ensure that historically disenfranchised groups are supported. . . . the adjustments within the formula are data-driven."
"Despite education's paramount importance, the disparity in funding among higher educational institutions remains dreadfully evident," Lightford said about her initiative. "This imbalance not only undermines the principle of equal opportunity but also hampers our collective progress as a society."
Lightford referred to race-based funding as "equitable", stating: "It is time for us to prioritize equitable funding for higher education institutions and ensure that every student has the opportunity to fulfil [sic] their potential."
Lightford and Ammons serve as co-chairs on the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding. The commission was created to recommend "specific data-driven criteria and approaches to the General Assembly to adequately, equitably, and stably fund public universities in this State and to evaluate existing funding methods."
S.B. 3965 and its companion legislation in the House will adopt recommendations made by the commission, according to Gonzalez, who said he was informed of this by Ammons's chief of staff.
This 87-page report claims that higher education in Illinois has "racial injustices embedded in the postsecondary system" and that the state has a "moral obligation and economic interest to dismantle and reform structures that create or exacerbate racial and socioeconomic inequities in higher education."
The report also alleges that, if its new funding framework is adopted, then "public universities in Illinois will be gaining additional resources needed to help them attract, retain, and graduate more traditionally underrepresented students."
The funding plan would also require roughly $1.4 billion to "fully meet student needs in an adequate and equitable manner." In Fiscal Year 2024, "the State provided more than $2.5 billion to higher education overall," the report states.
Campus Reform has reached out to Sen. Lightford for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
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