ISAC Student PortalISAC Communiqué
Volume 33, Number 12C
June 2024
| Messages sent to: | Multiple Subscription Groups |
| High School Counselors/Teachers | |
| ISAC Communiqué |
Welcome to the June 2024 ISAC Communiqué, which is a compilation of e-Messages sent through ISAC's e-Messaging service throughout June.
The articles in this electronic Communiqué have been organized according to the Counselor subscription groups to which the messages were distributed.
Questions?
Questions regarding information in this electronic Communiqué can be directed to School Services at 866.247.2172 or at ISAC.schoolservices@illinois.gov. On occasion, you may be directed to a specific contact person or area; when this occurs, we will provide the appropriate information in the individual article or message.
Space Filling Up Fast
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admissions Counselors, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants, Community Organizations, and Public Libraries on June 18, 2024.
Community is an important element of a student's learning because learning is a matter of belonging as well as an intellectual process. A healthy community helps create the social fabric for learning and belonging. Register now to attend the 2024 College Changes Everything® (CCE) conference as we foster connections to strengthen the communities to which we all belong. We're excited to bring together stakeholders from across the state to explore adaptable and scalable strategies to create meaningful impact to address the issues and systemic barriers limiting college access and success and career readiness for our students. Be part of the vibrant CCE community by attending this year's conference and take advantage of the opportunity to learn from others working on similar challenges as you, as well as share your expertise and experiences. More information about the conference is available on the conference website, including an updated agenda with more interest sessions.
We look forward to seeing you on July 18th at the Tinley Park Convention Center, located at 18451 Convention Center Drive, Tinley Park, IL, and connected to the EVEN Hotel Chicago-Tinley Park Convention Center. We have secured a conference hotel rate of $159.00 before tax and fee charges. You can book a reservation by phone at 708-444-1100 and mention "ISAC/College Changes Everything Conference" to get the rate, or you can book online here. The conference rate is available for reservations made by June 26, 2024.
Please share the information in this e-Message with colleagues in your organization and others in your network.
2024 College Changes Everything Conference Planning Committee
- Illinois Student Assistance Commission
- Illinois Board of Higher Education
- Illinois Community College Board
- Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
- Illinois Department of Employment Security
- Illinois State Board of Education
- Illinois College Access Network
- Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities
- Advance Illinois
- Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University
- ACT Now
- Women Employed
- iCan Dream Center
by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
Helping Illinois reach its Goal 2025: to increase the proportion
of adults in Illinois with high-quality college degrees and
postsecondary credentials to 60% by the year 2025.
Countdown to June 30: Navigating Federal Student Loan Debt Relief
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admissions Counselors, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants, Community Organizations, and Public Libraries on June 17, 2024.
The Department of Education extended the temporary changes for borrowers on Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans and/or pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) to receive credit for some previously ineligible payments. The IDR Account Adjustment will now end on Sunday, June 30, 2024.
There are three webinars remaining to learn about this opportunity and how to navigate the process! All webinars are in Central Time, and we are offering a dedicated Q&A session where you can come get your questions answered. For registration details, visit the Professional Development Calendar. For questions, contact isac.borrowersupport@illinois.gov.
Webinar Dates:
- Thursday, June 20, 2 – 2:45 p.m.
- Wednesday, June 26, 12 – 12:45 p.m. (Q&A Session)
- Friday, June 28, 9 – 9:45 a.m.
Don't Forget to Register for Our NEW PaCE Training on the Middle School PaCE Framework!
Sent to Principals/Superintendents/Administrators, High School Counselors/Teachers, College Admissions Counselors, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange High School Participants, Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange College Participants, Community Organizations, and Public Libraries on June 4, 2024.
Registration for our new half-day training on the recently-developed Illinois Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) Curriculum for 6th through 8th grade will close on Monday, June 10, 2024 (note the extended registration deadline date).
Join us at ISAC's office in Deerfield on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. During this training, you will gain an understanding of how student engagement with the curriculum helps meet the Illinois PaCE benchmarks for middle school, as well as learn about the structure and content of the curriculum.
For more information and registration details, visit the In-Person PaCE Training page. For questions, contact isac.pace@illinois.gov.
High School Counselors/Teachers
ISAC Program FY25 Funding – Budget Bills Approved
Sent on June 11, 2024.
Governor Pritzker has signed SB 251 (operating budget bill) and HB 4959 [budget implementation bill (BIMP)], which together provide funding and statutory authority for Illinois programs and services, including ISAC's programs for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25). Both bills were approved by the General Assembly a few days past the session's scheduled adjournment date, in the early morning hours of May 29, and were then forwarded to the governor for signature.
The bills are now considered law and are officially Public Act 103-0589 and Public Act 103-0588 (before considering printing, please note the document length; the text for P.A. 103-0588 is not yet available).
The overall budget for the upcoming academic year is a positive one for ISAC programs, with most programs receiving funding that is level with last year, while some will see increased funding. One of the biggest highlights is another significant increase ($10 million) to the Monetary Award Program (MAP), which again represents historic funding for the program. Additionally, the budget includes first-time funding for two programs created last year and increased spending authority for an existing program. For the first time since FY12, the budget includes funding ($6 million) for ISAC to reimburse public universities for a portion of the tuition and fees that have been waived on behalf of eligible veterans and guard members through the Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) and Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant programs. [As in recent years, the budget also includes a little more than $4.2 million for the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) to reimburse Illinois community colleges for the costs associated with the same programs.]
Also part of budget legislation, the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program will receive state funding for the first time, after the initial years of the program having been supported by federal funds. Because the $5 million FY25 state appropriation is considerably lower than the amount of federal funding that had been available for the program, the number of recipients in 2024-25 will likely be significantly limited, and the program is expected to be able to support only a portion of renewal applicants.
FY25 ISAC Program Appropriation Highlights
MAP – $711,566,200 (increase)
Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois – $10,750,000
Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship – $8,000,000
Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment – $7,500,000 (increase)
IVG and ING Grant reimbursement – $6,000,000 (new funding)
Social Work Scholarship/Repayment programs (combined appropriation) – $6,000,000
Human Services Professional Loan Repayment – $5,250,000 (new funding)
ECACE Scholarship – $5,000,000 (new state funding)
Nursing Education Scholarships (NES) – $4,000,000
Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship – $2,000,000 (new funding)
Dependents of Police, Fire or Correctional Officers – $1,300,000
Displaced Energy Worker Dependent Transition Scholarship – $1,100,000
Illinois Teachers Loan Repayment – $975,000
Nurse Educator Loan Repayment – $500,000
Grant Program for Exonerees – $150,000
Veterans' Home Medical Providers' Loan Repayment – $26,400
AIM HIGH Grant – $50,000,000*
* AIM HIGH funds are disbursed in lump sums by ISAC to public universities.
With the approval of the budget, program implementation and operational activities for the 2024-25 academic year will begin to move forward. As always, we will regularly provide updates and processing details regarding each of our programs as we proceed through the year.
May 2024 ISAC Communiqué
Sent on June 3, 2024.
The May 2024 edition of the ISAC Communiqué is now available for your review, and may be accessed via the Partner e-Messages & Newsletters section of the e-Library for Partners at isac.org. This electronic version of ISAC's newsletter is a compilation of information provided to Counselor partners via ISAC's e-Messaging service over the past month.
Topics covered in the May 2024 ISAC Communiqué include:
- CCE Conference Preliminary Agenda Available
(sent May 31, 2024) - Countdown to June 30: Navigating Federal Student Loan Debt Relief
(sent May 22, 2024) - Upcoming Important Dates from ISAC
(sent May 21, 2024) - Join ISAC for our NEW PaCE Training on the Middle School PaCE Framework!
(sent May 15, 2024) - Don't Forget: Spring into Action Webinars
(sent May 13, 2024) - Invitation to 2024 CCE Conference
(sent May 9, 2024) - April 2024 ISAC Communiqué
(sent May 1, 2024)
Encourage Your Colleagues to Sign Up for e-Messaging
ISAC's e-Messaging service is our primary means of communicating information to Counselor partners.
Encourage your colleagues who have not done so to subscribe through the Counselors e-Messaging sign-up page at isac.org today, so that they won't miss future announcements or updates from ISAC.
