@PlanarStuff oh ok we’re going to harper.
I don’t mean to be a downer, but without a state budget getting passed soon, IMSA will not be open in the fall. My DS is currently a junior at IMSA, and there is a real possibility he will have to complete senior year at his home school. There are rumors that the state may not have a budget until after the November elections, which would be far too late for the beginning of a new school year. Please, do yourself a favor and read the article posted online in the Chicago Tribune dated January 21, 2016. http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/news/ct-abn-imsa-state-budget-st-0122-20160121-story.html
The legislators are meeting today with President Obama. The time to act is now. Send them an email explaining how devastating it would be if IMSA doesn’t receive funding. You need to include Gov. Rauner, Mike Madigan, Jim Durkin, John Cullerton, and Christine radogno on the emails. You can send one group email to them all at this link.
http://soundoff.rebootillinois.com/#!/reps/44
Only they have the ability to fix this and ensure you all are able to go to school there next year.
Why IMSA would not consider increasing student fees like colleges would do. It is still better than sending students back to their home schools. State of Illinois is deep in debts, IMSA will probably eventually will become a private school or something like this. But the righting letters probably the only option for us…
If imsa became private it would be against their whole mission of giving smart kids without resourcess access to a great education
Yeah. @caressmytoenails
SAT scores come out tomorrow :(|)
@DOTexe I think you’re slightly overreacting. I go to IMSA, and I assure everyone is doing everything they can to prevent us from being shut down whether we get a budget or not. We’ve been able to manage without a budget so far and although it is a possibility that IMSA will shut down after this year, it’s not guaranteed at all that IMSA will shut down if we don’t get a budget. Also, there isn’t much more that we can do to get a budget as a school. We’ve pretty much been doing all we can, especially Dr. Torres.
Oh and also @YoloSwagMaster I don’t think you guys will have to wait until May. Last year we got our letters on/around April 29, so if anything, it will be barely into May. Like I said, just try not to think about it too much and assume you’'re staying at your own school. Just try to act like you never applied and you’ll be fine. 
@notarapper I respect your opinion but the reason they’ve been able to function thus far is because they are spending all of their reserves. In December, Gov. Rauner released the funds IMSA collects in student fees which is how IMSA has been continuing to operate. After March, without a special appropriation or a state budget, IMSA will be broke. IMSA relies on the state for 80% of its budgetary needs. They can’t charge tuition or issue bonds to raise money to make up the difference. I met with school officials last week who confirmed that unless funds are appropriated or a budget gets passed, students will not be returning in the fall. Trust me, I wish I were overreacting, but you don’t need to take my word for it. Since you are at IMSA now and it’s an I day, why not go over to the administration office and ask them for any updates or projections. You can update us all on what you learn.
@DOTexe So they would rather shut down and send students back to home schools instead of raising some money by increasing students fees? So only poor people go to IMSA, no middle class or rich? I would assume some parents would prefer to pay more than ruin their kids dream education… Also why giant technological corporations would not get involved in helping IMSA to produce people for future technological/industrial needs?
@javascript - I think you are idealizing IMSA too much. Also IMSA is not the only school that can produce people for future technological/industrial needs as you put it. Steve Chen (one of Youtube founders and IMSA contributor) went to IMSA but did not graduate from IMSA. If IMSA continues but has a lower budget, would they still be able to educate to the same level that would help develop these future innovators? Increasing student fees would not help those who can’t afford it and are actually exempt from paying them at this point. If IMSA closes and I agree with @DOTexe that it is a possibility based on my parents’ discussion with IMSA admin and parents, it is those who are not in good school districts who will suffer. Those who are in excellent districts can go back to their home school and continue to do well. It is funny that there is a discussion above on how poorly other schools did in the recent NSML (check meet 4 statistics on nsml.org). IMSA did not do really well either (relative to their capability and prior performance). I am surprised and disheartened how badly they were beaten in the meet. Things like this make me wonder if going to IMSA is the right choice for me. I can do research, do well in competitions and have a good education from my current school. With these budget issues, IMSA is becoming less attractive.
@survivorfan1 I am actually in in a public school with about 25% math and writing proficiency, and academic program in my school is so simplified so majority can pass it, I would prefer to go to IMSA, but not in dying IMSA. I agree they should have good funds to continue good education. I have heard IMSA get a budget cut in 2014 or 2015 (around $1.8 mln) for diversity issue. So they started accepting more “underrepresented” students, but I suspect they might lower their expectations for “underrepresented”… might be part of the reason for lower overall performance… Also, if I was attending a good school with so many opportunities like some large cities schools have, I would choose not to go to IMSA…
@javascript - that’s exactly what I was saying. Kids in bad district will be hurt most by closing IMSA. This is a budget issue though and the students of Illinois are affected. However, if there is no budget I don’t think teachers and administrators would work for free which would lead to closing of IMSA. You are also probably right about diminishing performance as a result of cuts and changes in student body. The only class that is doing well in NSML are the seniors. Once they graduate I wonder what will happen to their math team.
@javascript IMSA cannot raise student fees to cover the shortfall. Student fees and corporate and alumni donors make up 20% of the school’s operating costs with the state picking up the rest. Student fees (for class of '17) are $4500/year with some families paying nothing due to fee waivers. Think about how much they would need to raise student fees … The math isn’t there, not to mention the fees are fixed for your three years. Let me be clear, it is not IMSA choosing to shut down. That is the last thing they want to do. It’s the state of Illinois turning its back on its financial obligations and promises to the students. It’s in the hands of the governor and congressional leadership to make good on its promise to fund the school. And the diversity issue you speak of isn’t quite accurate. The racial makeup of the student body at IMSA hasn’t changed to make the class more diverse. It’s already incredibly diverse! Nor have they lowered their standards for certain groups. Everyone is held to the same standards. IMSA HAS increased its outreach efforts in underrepresented areas, however.
@survivorfan1 is correct in that the kids coming from wealthy school districts will likely be fine, but the kids in lower performing districts will be hurt immensely. IMSA is an amazing school with opportunities unmatched in any other school. This isn’t IMSA’s fault. The teachers and administrators are continuing to be paid as state employees, it’s everything else that’s not getting $$.
@DOTexe Thanks for correcting me about how teachers are paid. How is your son liking IMSA?
I think they should not have questions about students` race in the application (should not choose depending on race) but instead add some sophisticated IQ test to help sorting applicants out… :-B
Here is race distribution in state of Illinois.
Race % of Total
Total Population 100
White 71
Hispanic or Latino 15
Black or African American 14
Some Other Race 6
Asian 4
Two or More Races 2
American Indian Below 1%
Three or more races Below 1%
Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Below 1%
Native Hawaiian Below 1%
Alaska Native tribes Below 1%
If State of Illinois wants IMSA to have fair race representation, they should have 70% caucasian
You can check the 2016 profile to see the current distribution. I tried pasting the link here but it didn’t work. Google “IMSA 2016 profile”. It is currently 44% Asian, 37% White, 8% Hispanic, 6% Black, 5% two or more.
@survivorfan1 I know IMSA has over 40% asians, I did some calculations and it turned out that caucasians and african americans are the most underrepresented at IMSA! If this is one of the reasons IMSA has trouble and budget cuts?
I do not know the history behind the budget cuts. Like you I am also just applying. My parents know a lot of IMSA parents and I know a lot of IMSA students.If I remember correctly, there were politicians who complained about underrepresentation of some groups at IMSA. I do not know if that precipitated the budget cuts. Illinois in general is cash-strapped, so maybe the two are not connected?
What is the likelihood of IMSA shutting down? Like, even if it shuts down can it shut down after 2019 lol. I guess I won’t be that distraught cause I come from 204, but still going to IMSA would be awesome…
i urge you guys to send a letter to the officials. as of my submission, 844 people have sent letters, but the more letters sent, the greater the chances of helping IMSA.
i know IMSA isn’t necessarily going to shut down this fall, but i personally believe everyone should at least have the opportunity to apply if they want to. this doesn’t only apply to our year, but every class to come.
so if you have a few minutes please send the letter, or better yet write something personal alongside it.