Pell Grant in danger

Supporters sign petition

            Students, educators and past recipients have made their voices heard in the last week regarding Congress’s discussion on cutting federal Pell Grant funding to lower the national debt.

            According to Maureen Downey’s “Get Schooled” blog, which appears in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Pell Grants are estimated to cost the U.S. $40 billion in 2012. She reported that the budget passed by the House of Representatives would prevent 1.5 million more students from being eligible for the financial aid.

            “Advocates counter that Pell Grants are already failing to keep up with actual college costs,” Downey said. “Thirty years ago, the maximum Pell award covered about three-fourths of the college costs.” She added that the current annual cap is $5,550.

            Some Republicans in favor of cutting Pell Grant have equated the program to welfare, including U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Montana. Downey reported that during an April radio interview with Blog Talk Radio, Rehberg said the program was becoming welfare of the 21^st century.

“…You can go to school, collect your Pell Grants, get food stamps, low-income energy assistance, section 8 housing, and all of a sudden we find ourselves subsidizing people that don’t have to graduate from college. And there ought to be some kind of commitment and endgame,” he said to Blog Talk Radio.

It was later reported y KECI 13 that Rehberg said his statement was taken out of context. He said the federal government would not be able to keep up with the demand of the program, just like it couldn't keep up with the welfare system.

But not all of Congress feels the same way about Pell Grant.  U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Maryland, encouraged people on Twitter to voice their opinions on the matter. “I say let’s keep Pell Grants-Republicans say slash Pell Grants to protect tax breaks for the pampered & prosperous. Start tweeting on that!” she tweeted on July 19.

Educators and other Pell supporters retweeted the same message last week, including Michelle Rhee, CEO/Founder of StudentsFirst.org. “10 million hard-working college students rely on #Pell grants to afford college. Protect their funding and futures,” she tweeted on July 22.

Cathy Crea, a professor in St. Paul, Minn., tweeted “Most of my students are #Pell Grant recipients and would be unable to attend college without that federal money.”

While many supporters are passionate about the program because they were recipients or know someone who was, Rich Williams and Justin Draeger make a more rational point in a USA Today editorial. “Deficit reduction, like education policy, should focus on ensuring a stable and sustainable economy,” Williams and Draeger wrote. “If that is the goal, cutting funding to higher education and job training programs is the wrong approach.”

            The editorial argues that higher education is a good investment for a nation because it leads to greater wealth among individuals and more job options. “Higher-earning college graduates also pay more in taxes, are less likely to end up in prison or on welfare    and, according to 2010 Department of Labor Statistics analyses, are more likely to give back to their community through volunteering.”

            More than 17,000 people had signed a petition as of July 23 on Change.org opposing the potential cuts to Pell Grant. For more information on Pell Grant and other education issues follow Bohemian Jean’s education list on Twitter.

The list includes Education Week reporter Michele McNeil, “Get Schooled” blogger Maureen Downey, StudentsFrist.org founder Michelle Rhee and education organizations College Success, Campus Progress, American Association of State Colleges and Universities and U.S. News Education.