Pell Grant Funding a
Necessity as Economy Recovers
By Dr. Cristobal Valdez
President, Edison Community College
The looming crisis of the national debt is forcing Congress and the
President to make tough decisions on spending, taxes and entitlement
programs in an effort to get the economy back on stable ground.
However, a current proposal to cut funding for Pell Grants, the federal
government’s primary program to help economically disadvantaged
students attend college, is shortsighted and would have a devastating
effect on students’ access to higher education, especially in today’s
weak economy.
Congress is facing the daunting task of finding $11 billion just to
maintain the current maximum grant of $5,550 and some have proposed
making deep cuts that would reduce that figure down to $3,040 per
student or reducing access to the program for key college-going
populations.
From 2008 to 2010, the cost of the program has risen dramatically from
$18 to $30 billion, mainly due to the hundreds of thousands of
additional Americans who have enrolled in college to seek new skills
and training during the economic downturn. In the most recent year,
Pell Grant recipients at community colleges grew by 36.8 percent.
These changes alone would close the door to approximately 59,000
students in Ohio. Of all the students awarded Pell Grants, more than
half receive the maximum award, which goes to the neediest students.
From 2010-2011, nearly 50 percent of the student body at Edison
Community College received funding from Pell Grants.
Cutting these students off from a higher education would be disastrous
– not just for the students themselves, but also for the nation. Our
economic vitality depends increasingly on more workers attaining
postsecondary education. Even in times of high unemployment, millions
of jobs across the nation are vacant because employers can’t find
workers with the essential skills and training that community colleges
like Edison are able to provide. Without the access to the Pell Grant
funding, this problem will continue to worsen as the economy regains
steam.
The Pell Grants program is an investment in our most valuable natural
resource – educated American citizens. It’s an investment that is
critical to rebuilding our economy and ensuring our future prosperity.
Greater college attendance benefits our area directly, with higher
wages paid to those with degrees and specialized skills leading to
increased tax revenue that bolster state and federal budgets.
We ask our community members to contact their local representatives and
urge them to support maintaining the $5,550 Pell Grant maximum as a
necessary means to helping the country recover its economic stability.
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