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    Upward Mobility

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    Illinois Policy
    The Upward Mobility Program is an Illinois state government program that pays for continuing education and training for unionized state employees. It costs taxpayers over $4 million per year. The program pays 100% of tuition costs at public institutions and up to $400-450 per credit at private institutions. It also provides paid time off for classes and exams. The document argues the program should be eliminated to prioritize spending on core government services rather than union perks during the state's budget crisis.

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    Upward Mobility

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    Illinois Policy
    905 views2 pages
    The Upward Mobility Program is an Illinois state government program that pays for continuing education and training for unionized state employees. It costs taxpayers over $4 million per year. The program pays 100% of tuition costs at public institutions and up to $400-450 per credit at private institutions. It also provides paid time off for classes and exams. The document argues the program should be eliminated to prioritize spending on core government services rather than union perks during the state's budget crisis.

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    The Upward Mobility Program is an Illinois state government program that pays for continuing education and training for unionized state employees. It costs taxpayers over $4 million per year. The program pays 100% of tuition costs at public institutions and up to $400-450 per credit at private institutions. It also provides paid time off for classes and exams. The document argues the program should be eliminated to prioritize spending on core government services rather than union perks during the state's budget crisis.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    905 views2 pages

    Upward Mobility

    Uploaded by

    Illinois Policy
    The Upward Mobility Program is an Illinois state government program that pays for continuing education and training for unionized state employees. It costs taxpayers over $4 million per year. The program pays 100% of tuition costs at public institutions and up to $400-450 per credit at private institutions. It also provides paid time off for classes and exams. The document argues the program should be eliminated to prioritize spending on core government services rather than union perks during the state's budget crisis.

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    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    State of Illinois Upward

    Mobility Program
    June 16, 2010

    Funding a union perk at


    taxpayer expense
    The Problem
    Wish someone would pay for your continuing $400/credit hour for undergraduate
    education so you could get a higher paying job? courses and $450 for masters courses.4
    If you are a unionized Illinois state government
    employee, youre in luck. The State of Illinois When class time and work hours con-
    Spotlight on Spending

    runs the Upward Mobility Program, which is a flict, state employees in the program can
    career mobility program designed to give state qualify for paid time off for half of the
    employees an opportunity to advance to more time that classes interfere with their work
    challenging, higher paying positions.1 Illinois hours.5
    taxpayers pick up the programs costs:
    State employees enrolled in the program
    Illinois state government employees who are allowed to take up to eight hours off
    are union members represented by AF- per week to attend classes, and manage-
    SCME can register for the Upward Mobil- ment can only disapprove of such time
    ity Program.2 Selection for the program off requests because of unusual opera-
    is based upon seniority. Once selected, tional needs, class availability or untimely
    participants enroll in continuing education submission.6
    and training classes necessary to qualify
    for their target job title.3 Participants may appeal to the Upward
    Mobility Advisory Committee for addi-
    The Upward Mobility Program pays 100 tional financial assistance to help pay for
    percent of participants tuition costs at items the program does not cover, such
    public institutions. At approved private as textbooks and non-mandatory fees, if
    schools, the program pays as much as payment of such costs would impose a

    Annual State Expenditure for the Upward Mobility Program,


    Fiscal Year 2007 to 2011
    2010 2011
    Fiscal Year 2007 2008 2009
    (estimated) (proposed)
    State
    expenditure for
    expenses of the $4,156,900.00 $4,226,300.00 $4,420,700.00 $4,500,000.00 $4,750,000.00
    Upward Mobility
    Program
    Source: Illinois State Budget

    This is part 3 of the Illinois Policy Institutes weekly Spotlight on Spending series, highlighting wasteful or inefficient
    programs and spending with the goal of bringing more responsible spending and accountable government to Illinois. For
    additional information on state spending, visit www.IllinoisOpenGov.org.
    Page 2 of 2

    serious financial hardship on the Endnotes


    employee.7 1 Illinois Department of Central Management Ser-
    vices, Upward Mobility Program, http://www.state.
    The program pays for all required college il.us/cms/2_servicese_edu/umprgm.htm.
    proficiency tests and remedial classes.8
    2 Illinois Department of Central Management
    Upward Mobility pays for required Services, Upward Mobility Program Eligibility &
    qualifying and licensure examinations, and Enrollment, http://www.cms.illinois.gov/2_servic-
    for any review classes which prepare a ese_edu/umpenrol.htm?url=$url.
    participant to take such examinations.9
    3 Upward Mobility Program Policy Guidelines,
    Participants receive paid time off to pp. 2-6, http://www.state.il.us/cms/download/pdfs/
    meet with their Upward Mobility coun- ump_policy.pdf.
    selor or take a proficiency test.10
    Illinois needs Participants pursue continuing education
    4 Illinois Department of Central Management Ser-
    vices, Upward Mobility Program, http://www.state.
    to prioritize related to a list of more than 50 job titles, il.us/cms/2_servicese_edu/umprgm.htm.
    including: accountant, cook, chemist,
    spending psychologist, and social worker.11 5 Upward Mobility Program Policy Guidelines,
    on core Upon completion of the program, state
    pp. 8, http://www.state.il.us/cms/download/pdfs/
    ump_policy.pdf.
    government employees are given special consid-
    eration in the filling of vacancies of
    services over targeted state job titles.12
    6 Ibid.

    union perks. Participants who seek titles that require


    7 Ibid, pp. 10.
    degrees or licenses must fulfill a two-year 8 Ibid, pp. 10.
    work commitment with the state. Those
    who leave before fulfilling the commit- 9 Ibid, pp. 12.
    ment must repay the cost of tuition and
    fees on a prorated basis. 13 10 Illinois Department of Central Management
    Services, Upward Mobility Program Eligibility &
    How much does the Upward Mobility Program Enrollment, http://www.cms.illinois.gov/2_servic-
    cost taxpayers? According to Illinois state bud- ese_edu/umpenrol.htm?url=$url.
    get books, taxpayers spend over $4 million per
    year on this program. Governor Pat Quinn has 11 Illinois Department of Central Management Ser-
    proposed raising the programs fiscal year 2011 vices, Upward Mobility Program Targeted Job Titles,
    funding to $4,750,000$250,000 more than http://www.state.il.us/cms/2_servicese_edu/umptitle.
    fiscal year 2010 funding levels. htm?url=$url.
    The Solution
    The Upward Mobility Program should be elimi- 12 Illinois Department of Central Management
    nated. Illinois taxpayers often struggle to fund Services, Upward Mobility Program Eligibility &
    higher education costs for their own families; Enrollment, http://www.cms.illinois.gov/2_servic-
    they should not be funding higher education ese_edu/umpenrol.htm?url=$url.
    for state employees as well.
    13 Upward Mobility Program Policy Guide-
    Why This Works lines, pp. 10, http://www.state.il.us/cms/down-
    Illinois is in the midst of a massive budget cri- load/pdfs/ump_policy.pdf.
    sis. State government jobs in Illinois are already
    well paid, offer generous benefits, and come
    with high job security. Illinois needs to priori-
    tize spending on core government services over
    union perks.

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