ICCTA Action Alert June 11, 2002 Call your Senators re: Special Populations Grants Without warning, at noon on Monday, June 10, Gov. George Ryan vetoed the entire amount appropriated for community college Special Populations Grants in FY03 ($11.3 million). He also reduced community college equalization and basic credit hour grants by 1% each. In addition, funding for Leadership and Core Values Grants ($150,000) and for Special Initiative Grants ($610,000) was eliminated. Colleges depend heavily on Special Populations Grants. City Colleges of Chicago was due to receive $5.2 million for Special Populations, and the system's smallest college, Shawnee, was due to receive $61,104. Ryan's veto would eliminate this funding. The Governor's cuts would leave our colleges with 4.98% less than they originally received for the current year. Universities would be down 6.46%, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission would drop 9.67%, and the Illniois Math Science Academy would lose 18.56%. Despite our comparative advantage, this is a very serious reduction, and the Senate will have a chance today to override the vetoes. Gov. Ryan may respond to vetoes with reductions in capital funding and/or a veto of the "30 and out" early-retirement legislation. IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED: 1) Estimate your college's losses under the Governor's cuts. 2) Call your State Senator(s) TODAY, JUNE 11, and tell them about the probable effects on your services and students. (You can call your Senator's Springfield office and ask to be connected to them on the floor, or call the Statehouse switchboard at 217-782-2000.) For additional information on state legislative issues, contact ICCTA at 1-800-454-2282. Illinois Community College Trustees Association 401 E. Capitol Ave., Suite 200 Springfield, IL 62701-1711 217-528-2858 (phone) 217-528-8662 (fax) ICCTA@communitycolleges.org (e-mail) http://www.communitycolleges.org | Home | News | Events | Links |