Elgin Community College’s budget crisis continues with uncertainty, but maintains an optimistic outlook and a fighting spirit for fiscal year 2017.

Currently, the state of Illinois has not given appropriate funding to cover the Adult Education programs and Monetary Award Program grants (or MAP grants)  for fiscal year 2017, according to ECC’s all-college meeting on Nov. 14.

“I think with a lot of people it’s just the uncertainty around us. We just don’t know. Especially with the state. They might find more money for us this year but we can’t bank that and count on that for next year,” said Sharon Konny, vice president of business and finance.

“I will say, on the money, we have not received that yet. We’re still waiting on that.  Illinois Community College Board told us it was vouchered and there are invoices waiting in the comp. office to be paid, but we are in line with a lot of other people,” Konny said.

Despite having a lack of a budget for fall 2017, there is still some money budgeted for Adult Education for the spring semester.

“There was an appropriation on June 30th for state adult education of $827,000. Now, $596,000 was applied for fiscal year 2016 and $245,000 is being applied for fiscal year 2017. That was part of the Stop Gap funding that covered 18 months,” Konny said.

According to Vice President of Teaching, Learning and Student Development Peggy Heinrich, the Adult Education program serves approximately 2,500 students, annually.  ECC’s Adult Education program covers tuition-free English as a second language class. Adult Education also includes college transition courses, like programs in health care, early childhood education and the industrial arts.

While Adult Education seems like it’s keeping its head above water, MAP grants look unsteady as no money has been budgeted for it at the time.

“For spring 2017, there hasn’t been a commitment made yet. We have a finance committee meeting in about two weeks and that will be an item for discussion, but there is no appropriations right now for MAP grants for fiscal year 2017,” Konny said.

MAP grants help out approximately 1,000 qualifying students, offering up to $1,700 for full-time students, with part-time students receiving less based on the number of credit hours they are enrolled in,  according to Heinrich.

Besides the budgetary issues with MAP grants and Adult Education, 24 ECC employees were also laid off due to the lack of money from the state. Of the 24, 12 employees were placed on a recall list.

“We will continue to make our voices heard in Springfield, whenever there is an opportunity to talk about it. If you know people, let them know, we are being impacted,” said ECC President David Sam in response to the budget crisis.

“This is an investment in an ecological development in the state. The returns are great. You go to the local hospitals, the nurses there are all trained here, you look at the firefighters and police officers, they are trained at the local community colleges, ” Sam said. 

ECC’s board will discuss more of the budget and its issues in the next finance committee meeting on Dec. 12.