With the many philanthropic programs in Peoria to develop the city, Peoria Promise is a privately-funded pipeline to provide the skilled workforce needed to serve these projects and improve the local economy.

Peoria Promise — which has granted $2 million of support to more than 1,500 students so far — provides students who live in the city, have attended for at least three years and graduated from a public school with 64 credit hours to be used over a three-year period at Illinois Central College. ICC has an enrollment of more than 13,000 students and a vast majority come from Peoria. About half of the students who receive Promise are the first in their families to college.

ICC has announced that low-income students will get a tuition waiver for dual-credit classes for high schoolers. A recent meeting floated the idea that the Peoria Public Schools Foundation might pick up the tab for middle-income students while others mentioned Peoria Promise involvement.

That seems unlikely, given a controversial switch in Promise guidelines which took effect this fall. Students now must pay for their first semester and are reimbursed based on meeting academic standards.