Governor J. B. Pritzker was in Springfield on Wednesday to propose new initiatives to increase spending on higher education, increase funding for government grants to low-income college students, and create the Pipeline for Advancement of the Healthcare Workforce or PATH program.
The projects were announced as part of his annual budget proposal earlier this month.
“PATH is investing $ 25 million in community colleges across Illinois to remove barriers to the recruitment and training of health professionals,” Pritzker told a news conference at Lincoln Land Community College.
Pritzker’s budget includes $ 730.5 million in new proposals to increase the health workforce.
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of jobs in health and social care in the country will grow by 16.8% between 2020 and 2030.
The $ 25 million PATH program proposed by Pritzker will include funding for certificate programs and “universal student support services,” which include things like financial aid and career counseling.
At LLCC, a junior nursing degree costs $ 15,000 for a district resident and $ 23,600 for a student from the county, not counting approximately $ 2,200 in other expenses, according to the college’s website.
Luke Ridge is in his second semester working on getting a junior nurse degree at LLCC. Ridge, who has twice survived cancer, was inspired by the nurses who treated him.
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He spoke with Pritzker in support of health care student programs.
“There is a shortage of nurses and we are needed now more than ever,” Ridge said.
Last year, according to LLCC President Charlotte Warren, 2,500 students graduated from Illinois Community Colleges as graduate nurses.
Pritzker has offered to spend an additional $ 122 million on a cash prize program, a government program that provides grants to low-income college students.
![State Senator Doris Turner, D-Springfield, speaks Wednesday at Lincoln Land Community College during a press conference by Gov. J. B. Pritzker. [Thomas J. Turney/The State Journal-Register]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/02/16/NSJR/31325af0-e3b6-494f-aef2-5b5b46980df9-021622Turner.jpg?width=660&height=539&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Sue Scherer’s spokesman, D-Decatur, spoke in support of the proposal. Scherer was awarded a MAP grant when she was in college.
“If it weren’t for this MAP grant, you wouldn’t have gone to college,” Scherer said.
The grant program has been tumultuous for several years. Funding for the program was cut under Rauner’s leadership, leaving the program without funding during a budget deadlock.
Since then, funding has increased from $ 401 million to $ 480 million under Pritzker. His new proposal will bring the program to $ 601 million.
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Pritzker’s budget is still a proposal, and members of the Illinois General Assembly will need to discuss and approve it in the coming months. They must approve the final budget by April 8.
When Pritzker announced his $ 45.4 billion budget, Republicans criticized the proposal to increase spending.
Senate Republican leader Dan McConchy, R. Hawthorne Woods, noted the “significant ongoing expansion of the state government” and, he said, the lack of attention to lower living costs in Illinois.
Contact Andrew Adams: aadams1@gannett.com; (312) -291-1417; twitter.com/drewjayadams.