North Cook News

State Sen. Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) is praising Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s  $45 billion proposed budget for the changes it seeks to the Monetary Assistance Program (MAP) grants.

“The budget proposal makes an additional investment into the MAP grants by a total of $122 million, totaling the appropriation to approximately $601 million so this investment will make huge difference in allowing some of the financial assistance to approximately 24,000 additional students that will be able to participate in the program,” Murphy said in a video posted to YouTube. “It increases the maximum amount awarded to a student to $8,508 and if we look at that that's probably half the cost per year at a state university. That goes a long way in helping working families provide assistance for their kids to go to school.”

As a grant program that does not need to be repaid and does not require test scores, MAP seeks to access to higher education for low-income student.

“It's not the end-all, but if you look at the last four years of our MAP funding, our higher education funding, it's increased over 50% and I've long said that our path to financial success is making that investment in higher education,” Murphy said.

On the governor’s budget as a whole, which outlines increases to state school funding and additional spending for bus service, special education, college scholarships for low-income students and childhood education, Murphy argues many of the policies offer a ray of hope to those that have been long suffering.

 “Working families across the state are facing grave financial struggles due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, high property taxes and the recent bout of inflation,” she said in a post to her website. “Tax relief policies put money back in the pockets of people who worked hard for their earnings. Today’s proposed budget is a positive first step toward helping working families, supporting the middle class and spurring economic growth.”

Marking the first year that the governor has laid out plans calling for increased spending for education since the start of the pandemic, ChalkBeat Chicago reports the budget increases its education general fund by $498.1 million, or 5.4 percent, for an overall budget of $9.7 billion.

“Our students and educators are facing the challenge of a lifetime teaching and learning as we emerge from the pandemic,” said state school superintendent Carmen Ayala in a statement, adding that the investments will mean more teachers, wraparound support, and early childhood programs.

Now seeking re-election, Pritzker is also touting his spending plan for the $1 billion tax cut proposal it makes by the state suspending its 1% sales tax on grocery purchases, postponing a hike in the gas tax and instituting a one-time property tax rebate that could mean as much as a $300 rebate for homeowners.