Is it finally happening?
Take a trip on the Eye On Illinois time machine to April 10, 2021, to revisit the 102nd General Assembly’s Senate Bill 1832, which would’ve allowed the state’s community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees and professional teaching licenses for those looking to work in early childhood education.
Despite bipartisan support and 20-plus Senate sponsors, the proposal landed in the assignments committee, where it died when the session concluded. But Gov. JB Pritzker reflected the trial balloon in his 2025 State of the State speech, “proposing we allow community colleges to offer four-year baccalaureate degrees for in-demand career paths – like nursing, advanced manufacturing, early childhood education, and beyond.”
As I noted, Pritzker’s office acknowledged the idea isn’t revolutionary. At the time, 24 other states had similar offerings, and Illinois’ 39 community colleges were behind almost 200 schools nationwide already offering advanced degrees.
But that was then, and this is now, with Illinois still on the sidelines. Maybe.
On Wednesday, the House Executive Committee voted 12-0 to advance House Bill 5319, a Public Community College Act amendment that may actually get this ball rolling. The plan has about 60 House sponsors and an unsurprisingly glowing review from Illinois Community College Board Executive Director Brian Durham, who said the vote “reflects a growing recognition that higher education must meet students where they are – especially those whose work, family or financial circumstances may not allow them to pursue a traditional four-year university experience.”
Primary opposition to any version of the concept typically centers around the potential impact on the state’s public four-year colleges and universities, most of which have seen better days. But without discounting that concern, the resistance itself is evidence of the larger problem: a government structure and political culture in which our public institutions are rivals instead of partners.
Just Wednesday I discussed House Bill 5037, the Fixing Illinois Higher Education Funding Act. The bill summary says it would foster “a comprehensive, 10-year plan to ensure the long-term performance and sustainability of higher education … that ensures funding supports education outcomes, assesses the affordability of higher education … and supports long-term economic and workforce development goals.”
Going all the way back to 2021, the issue wasn’t framed as what’s best for which college or really concerns about how to best serve the state’s high school graduates, but the challenge of 2,200 early childhood job vacancies with only 340 qualified new workers each spring.
While addressing that specific issue remains logical, pushback is all the more reason to get legitimately serious about examining how our current system – any public money funding postsecondary education – serves modern needs and the practicality of re-ordering structures.
Piecemeal solutions guarantee continued operational deficiencies.
• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.
Top Feeds,Politics
via Shaw Local https://ift.tt/FEb6T4u
March 28, 2026 at 10:00AM
Illinois Delivered 