Raise Pell grants.....

[Wetzelbill]

We need a candidate to not only bring Pell grants and studentloans back up to where they were before Bush, but to exceed those previous numbers as well.

I am a college student, who is currently sitting out a semester because not only did my tuition go up in a record increase, but my Pell Grant and loan amounts significantly decreased, as well. Tuition sucked and financial aid wasn't all that good in the first place. Now it's even worse. My university is about to raise tuition again. I'm a better student than Bush ever was and would like to finish my degree instead of sitting ourt or scraping by part-time.

Kerry. Edwards. Clark. Dean. Or whomever....

Give us some relief.

[girl gone mad]

1. Clark is for..

increasing the Pell grants.

Student aid has not kept pace: the average Pell Grant and Federal education tax credits have declined from 80 percent of average tuition and fees in 2000-01 to about two-thirds of average tuition and fees in 2002-03. This places an ever increasing burden on students who want to go to college but cannot afford it. At the same time, the process of student aid is needlessly complex. Wes Clark has a plan to make the first two-years of college free for most Americans, while restraining tuition increases and encouraging families to save for college. More than half of the Universal College Grant is paid for by consolidating the existing Pell Grant and Hope Scholarship and eliminating billions of dollars a year in subsidies for banks that offer student loans; the remaining $70 billion over ten years is paid for as part of the Saving for America's Future plan. Wes Clark's three-part plan:


1. Make the first two years of college free for most students - providing a Universal College Grant of $6,000 per year

2. Restrain spiraling tuition increases

3. Enhance savings for college


http://clark04.com/issues/highereducation/

And I agree! I got through my first two years of college on Pell grants.

[curse10]

2. Kerry's plan does that

and increases the benefit for hope and lifetime tax credits. One of the major reasons I'm against Dean is that his higher education plan is really, really sub par.

Compare:

http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/cg/index.html?type=page&pagename=policy_statement_education_highered

http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/college/

http://clark04.com/issues/highereducation/

I just think there is no contest. Although Clark does want to offer a new grant, I think Kerry's plan has more options, not only for students, but to their parents. Dean just wants to offer more loans. Yippee. That's the last thing I need.