(The Center Square) – A former state lawmaker says Illinois is now tops in the nation on per-student spending in higher education , despite enrollment plummeting as Illinois' high school graduates select colleges in other states.

The Illinois Policy Institute found that state government spending on higher education in Illinois increased over $2 billion as enrollment dropped by more than 106,000 students between 2009 and 2024.

Illinois Policy Institute Senior Fellow and former state Rep. Mark Batinick says he gets tired of people saying state taxpayers are not funding higher education enough.

“We are number one in the funding of higher education. I think we are more than double the national average. Some people will say, ‘Well that’s because of historical pension payments.’ Even

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