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7/16/2009
Fiscal Year 2010 Budget
On July 15, 2009, the Governor and state legislators reached an agreement regarding the fiscal year 2010 (FY2010) state budget. Absent new revenues and facing a substantial state budget deficit, cuts have been made. Consequently, the amount of money allocated to pay Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants for the 2009-10 school year has been significantly reduced. The actual amount of MAP dollars paid on each student's behalf will be half of what was originally expected, with the available dollars going toward tuition and mandatory fee expenses for fall term (i.e., the full first-term award will be paid). No funds will be available to pay spring term awards.
Communication to Students Regarding MAP Funding
As was recently communicated to you, many of ISAC's school partners and the ILASFAA Formula Committee have advised the agency that a communication about the final impact of budget cuts on students' 2009-10 MAP awards should be sent to all MAP-eligible, nonsuspended students. We, therefore, are again looking to you to help us get the word out since ISAC cannot absorb the cost of sending a message to the 169,000 students directly. An updated communication entitled "Important Message from ISAC to Students Regarding 2009-10 MAP Grant Funding" (dated July 16, 2009) is now available at collegezone.com, and we are seeking your assistance in informing students about the current situation.
Accessible via the Student Zone's Monetary Award Program (MAP) page, this PDF document gives a brief overview of the impact that budget cuts have had on
2009-10 MAP grants. The document also provides information regarding how to contact state legislators for those who might choose to encourage the General Assembly to make student financial aid a priority in allocating state resources in the future.
Communication Options
E-mail: If you send an e-mail to students, we ask that an introduction be given from your institution. Then a link to the message at collegezone.com could easily be inserted in the e-mail note. Feel free to also make the message accessible at your institution's Web site.
Regular mail: If you send a paper copy of the message, we ask that an introductory cover note be provided by your institution along with the message. Simply download and print as many copies of the document as you need.
We greatly appreciate the assistance of the financial aid community in this communication effort.
In order to stay up-to-date on the status of MAP and the other ISAC-administered gift assistance programs, continue to regularly visit the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area, as well as the FAA Message Board, at collegezone.com.
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