Governor Bruce Rauner on Friday signed a package of bills that will help give high schoolers a head start on college. Sponsored by State Senator Chuck Weaver of Peoria and State Representative Dan Swanson of Woodhull, under the new law, students won’t be limited in how many dual credit courses they can take. Students can earn both high school and college credit at the same time.
“It’s very cost effective,” Swanson said. “The parents are so receptive to the idea to letting their students go to school, while still living at home and in a classroom or high school setting.”
Weaver adds that it’s another way to challenge students in the classroom – keeping them engaged. “The reality is we can do a lot of the things to help kids get further down the path (with) their college experiences – (so it’s) not as expensive as it might otherwise be,” Weaver said. “And they might be learning about something that they enjoy.”
The most ambitious students can end up earning their associate’s degree while still in high school thanks to dual credits. “We don’t want parents and students and families to have to go deeply into debt to get the degrees or certificates that they are seeking to get,” Governor Rauner said. “We want to bring down the cost as much as possible, and dual credit classes can allow us to achieve that.”
The bill was approved by a 54-0 vote in the Senate and a 107-0 vote in the House of Representatives. Senate Bill 2527 is part of a broad package of legislation sponsored by Weaver to enhance educational opportunities for students and strengthen schools. The bills cover dual credit courses, vocational training, and measures addressing the teacher shortage hurting schools statewide.
