Pell Grants Must Be Funded
A recent story out of Washington highlighted the compromise spending bill (HR 3288). This bill allocates $163.6 billion for education, health and labor programs and includes much-needed increases to Pell Grants and programs for disadvantaged and first-generation college students. Hopefully, this bill will be passed by the House and the Senate and signed by the president in the near future.
Under this bill, Pell Grants would increase by $200 to a maximum award of $5,550. TRIO and Gear Up programs, which primarily assist low-income, first-generation and disabled students, would receive a combined $15 million increase.
In reality, these increases are relatively modest, but at least there is some positive movement at a time when these programs are most needed.
However, the Pell Grant program is expected to have an unanticipated and unbudgeted $18 million shortfall over the next three years. This impending shortfall is the largest since Pell Grants were initiated in 1976. Funding this shortfall will require more than doubling the investment in Pell Grants.
Getting A Leg Up
The Pell Grant program is a need-based federal grant awarded to low-income students.
Eligibility is determined by family income and the expected family contribution to the cost of higher education, the cost of attending the college of choice, and the intentions of the student in terms of full-time or part-time study.
These grants can be used at more than 5,000 colleges and universities in the United States, and are based on the choice and admission of the student.
The significant increase in the awarding of Pell Grants, which resulted in this projected shortfall, is attributed to the increased number of students attending college this past year and expected to attend in the near future.
This is a result of the horrific economy and the dismal job market, as well as the increased number of students (and families) who have now become eligible for Pell Grants because of their personal economic condition.
The initial response from Washington is that the shortfall will be covered and the program will be funded. In addition, the projections are that the omnibus spending bill will pass. These are the right actions and decisions, and equally important to the future of this country as addressing the national financial crisis in banking, the housing crisis in every state and the employment crisis in every city.
Simply stated, many students of ability would not be able to attend college without a Pell Grant. Furthermore, these grants are critical in allowing students to choose the college that provides the educational opportunity and learning environment that meets their needs. Some students do better at small institutions; some need the resources of research universities; others may fit better in a rural or an urban environment. Pell Grants recognize the diversity and richness of American higher education and provide access, opportunity and choice for students without institutional restrictions.
The most recent proposal to invest $100 billion in a jobs program, for example, is likely a good and necessary idea.
But in the long run, wouldn’t a similar investment in educational opportunity for our best and brightest students be a better idea? Wouldn’t an increase in the maximum Pell Grant award be a smart investment in job training and job preparation programs?
Global competition and the challenges facing the American worker will not decrease in the future. We cannot afford to have a generation of less trained or less well educated graduates. We cannot afford to have fewer graduates.
Jack Calareso is the president of Anna Maria College in Paxton.
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