state budget – The Columbia Chronicle

Editor’s Note: Proposed state budget could provide much needed relief for students

March 1, 2019

Just five weeks into his new job in the highest seat of the state, Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposed a $39 billion state budget that would make room for legalized recreational marijuana and sports betting, ...

Columbia receives MAP grant funding after state budget approval

July 25, 2017

Students who have been in financial abyss because of Monetary Award Program grant shortfalls can rest easy thanks to action in Springfield. After more than two years, Illinois has a budget for the full fiscal year after the state legislature overrode Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget ...

CTU President: Stop pitting Chicago against the suburbs

July 25, 2017

Public schools may still not open on time, even though the Illinois legislature passed its first budget in more than two years.The Illinois House overrode Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget package veto July...

CPS CEO: State funding formula a ‘cancer’ on CPS

May 31, 2017

Financial shortfalls, delayed state grants and a broken funding formula just continues a pattern of racial discrimination of Chicago Public Schools, said CPS CEO Forrest Claypool.CPS has been stru...

City to host global waterfront forum

December 12, 2016

In the midstof a major initiative to renovate the city’s waterfronts, Chicago will get a chance to showcase its work during a global mayors’ forum on urban waterfront redevelopment early next year. Jo...

Educational institutions should be safe havens

December 5, 2016

Many times along the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump emphasized his strong stance on ending illegal immigration, which included a plan to stop federal funding to “sanctuary cities.” There is no legal definition of sanctuary cities, nor do they have an official status or affiliation. Cities fall under this umbrella if they have policies that protect illegal or undocumented immigrants from having their citizen...

Editor’s Note: Enrollment plummet proves need for administrative wake-up call

By Editor-In-Chief

October 3, 2016

Columbia’s enrollment dropped for the seventh consecutive year, as reported in The Chronicle’s Front Page story. At 8,120 students—the decline began after 2008 when the college had 12,464—our enroll...

What is a student center without students?

April 11, 2016

While the state continues to function without a budget, Illinois colleges must choose whether or not to fund students’ Monetary Award Program grants for a second academic year. These state-funded grants for low-income students can make or break their ability to attend college at all.Some schools, such as the Illinois Institute of Technology, are seeking repayment of funds advanced in Fall 2015, while wealthier schools, su...

Illinois budget impasse—Higher education caught in the crossfire

April 4, 2016

Darren Martin knew he wanted to attend school at Chicago State University because it was the place he spent his summers at 13 years old. Martin came from a single-parent home and, to keep him away from...

Rauner chooses lottery winners over students

February 22, 2016

Illinois has been without a functioning state budget since July 1, 2015, and as a result, many state-funded program recipients have suffered.One such program is the Monetary Award Program, which provides grants for Illinois residents who demonstrate financial need and are attending Illinois-approved colleges, according to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.These students have been unable to receive the grants they were pr...

Uptown residents: new apartments will gentrify neighborhood

By metro editor

February 16, 2016

Preliminary approval for zoning and financial assistance for a mixed-income apartment complex has sparked protests from residents in the Uptown neighborhood who cite a lack of housing and assistance for t...

New CPD training might be too little too late

February 8, 2016

Throughout the last few months, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Police Department have faced great scrutiny, including an investigation of CPD by the U.S. Justice Department for the shootings of civilians by police officers and the system that allows these tragedies to be repeated.Emanuel announced Jan. 28 that 12,000 Chicago police officers and 911 dispatchers will undergo eight hours of training on responding appropria...