Governor Edward Rendell making it clear that education is inextricably linked to economic policy. (Photo by Dallas Morning News)
Governor Edward Rendell proposed legislation on Feb. 4th that may grant an invaluable gift to all community and public college students earning less than $100,000 dollars a year. The Pennsylvania Tuition Relief Act, made possible by President Obama’s $787 billion federal stimulus package proposal, will make available a potential $7,600 dollars in relief from tuition fees, room and board, according to Rendell.
“Pennsylvania families are today wrestling with the gut-wrenching question of whether they can still afford to send their children to college. Getting a degree and being qualified to enter the working world makes all the difference in our economy,” Rendell said. “When it comes to helping young people get there, the hard truth is that right now, we are not doing nearly enough to provide students and the families that support them with the means to complete their college degrees.”
Rendell is calling for increased government spending by $300 million on education during a time of recession. Is this the mark of madness or is Rendell seeing a bigger picture?
According to Rendell it is the latter; his administration is earmarking education as the most important form of social currency in our society – the process that keeps America’s economy running from teacher to student and from Wall Street mogul to stock-exchange-success-wannabe.
Rendell’s budget also includes a $35 million dollar increase in Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) tuition grants. These grants ensure that all 28 schools under the Pennsylvania state system of higher education will receive an ample sum of grant money.
In addition to the $35 million increase, Rendell is proposing an extra $10 million to provide grants for nearly 10,000 community college students, while he ensures that previously given grants are safely in the hands of the students already enrolled in financial aid.
According to Rendell’s plan, incoming students to community or public colleges will only have to pay what they can afford, the sole limitation being a $1,000 dollar fee required of every student regardless of their financial status. Rendell is disinclined to give the impression that the relief act would mean a free ride for any student, as that might be detrimental to the economic stability of universities statewide. In fact, according to Rendell, his proposal will allow an additional 20,000 students to seek college degrees, which in turn will provide enough tuition to maintain and even assist the economic growth of public and community colleges.
This rise in the university economy, Rendell hopes, will provide a better, more modern education for everyone involved. “Much of the money will be used to supply new computers and update the technology,” said Ray Toole, director of DCCC’s financial aid department.
Ray Toole, director of DCCC's financial aid department (Photo By Maxwell McAdams)
Also greatly affected by this proposal are faculty members. With the advent of some Pennsylvania associated schools, including Penn State, contemplating layoffs, faculty in the public and community college arenas are naturally wary. Rendell proposes, however, that the salaries and jobs of faculty members will be safeguarded by the influx of students and a greater flow of tuition.
“I don’t want to sound “ghoulish,” but in this economy, thankfully, community colleges in particular are not falling into the pits of recession in which many state affiliated schools have been pushed,” Toole said.
Incredibly, according to Toole, community colleges like DCCC are fairing just fine in the economic slump as students find other institutions less and less affordable. Citizens of Pennsylvania, however, are not avoiding the recession as community colleges have managed to do, and many are finding it increasingly difficult to pay for any kind of education.
“This is why we would like to act now,” said Michael Race of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Race hopes that in the long run, every school whether community, public, or state affiliated will have sufficient financial aid. According to Race, however this may take several years to accomplish.
“I just cannot afford next semester,” said Samir Desai, 22, a communications major at Delaware County Community College. “Unfortunately, my family makes over $40,000 a year so I feel disempowered to receive any kind of Pell Grant.”
Fortunately for Desai, the fifth child in a family of six high school and college aged children, the tuition relief act will cover his entire tuition if it is a bill passed by the senate.
“That’s what we’re all waiting on… senate approval and that final signature from Rendell,” said Toole. According to Race, this approval with any luck will be a solidified promise of financial assistance by Spring 2009.
