State Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, has proposed a state law that would mandate funding a study of Illinois universities to develop a 10-year plan focused on school accountability, sustainability and affordability.

House Bill 5037, which could be called the Fixing Illinois Higher Education Funding Act if approved by legislators, was filed by Keicher on Feb. 4. It was referred to the rules committee on Feb. 10, and on March 5, state Rep. Paul Jacobs, R-Marion, signed on as a co-sponsor of the bill.

While the proposed legislation has yet to face a vote, Keicher – a Northern Illinois University alumnus who lives in Sycamore – hosted an online panel shared by the Illinois House Republicans on Facebook to discuss secondary education reform Wednesday.

He said college campuses could be reshaped by the proposed bill.

“We need to be cautious, and now is the time for change,” Keicher said. “Every option should be on the table in this process, from expanding or downsizing some campuses or relocating, or shifting to a specialized focus that is more cost-effective and focused on career readiness.”

Before he was joined by Mark Batinick, a senior fellow at the Illinois Policy Institute and a former state representative, Keicher criticized Illinois’ state university funding model.

Keicher said he believes Illinois’ public university funding policy gives money to schools with declining enrollment “without taking steps to address the reasons behind those declines.”

Total enrollment in Illinois higher education has fallen about 29% since 2009, a loss of more than 106,000 full-time students, according to a news release from Keicher’s office.

Locally, NIU’s 10-day enrollment last fall showed the second largest freshmen class since 2014, a change from a two-year freshmen enrollment dip.

However, total university enrollment, like colleges across the state, has trended down over the past decade.

Some universities have attempted to unveil programs targeting local students and offering incentives to attend in-state schools. NIU recently was recognized nationally for its efforts to support students transferring from community colleges. NIU’s Aim High Huskie Pledge expanded in 2024 to allow for more qualifying Illinois high school seniors to attend NIU for at least their first year without paying tuition.

Batnick, who did not run for reelection in 2022, said he “became kind of addicted to education funding because” he noticed that his first daughter’s higher education opportunities were better out of state than within Illinois.

As the father of five children who have attended or are considering attending classes in a higher education setting, Batnick said he’s found that Illinois students graduating from high school are drawn to other states’ public universities because of lower costs.

“The value proposition is better for out-of-state schools,” Batnick said.