Colleges and universities in the state continue to wait for money owed to them since the start of the school year and some are on life support. But a few plans to address the lack of state funding for schools and MAP grants are starting to come out of the legislature. One plan has full funding going to WIU, EIU, Chicago State and Northeastern along with five percent of funding going to SIU-C.

But Rep. Mike Fortner a West Chicago Republican wants to send all nine public universities a third of their promised funding. In all is more that $550 million in spending. Fortner says right now schools won’t make it till fall.

Fortner acknowledges that this is a far from perfect plan but one that should be able to get schools through the rest of this year and let them be able to open their doors in August.

Statewide Eastern and Chicago State are seen as in the worst shape. Fortner also included a plan that would fund one semester of MAP grants to low income students. That’s not in the plan from Rep. Rita Mayfield. Fortner wants the money to pay for this swept from the Education Assistance Fund.