U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., discusses papers and memorabilia on display in an exhibit about his political career in this file photo.Possible cuts to Pell grants -- the federal program that helps make higher education possible for students from low income families -- are in the cross-hairs of federal budget-cutters. They should find another target. Thousands of area students might find it impossible to remain in school if Congress makes billion-dollar reductions in Pell funding. Given the mindless budget-cutting mood in Washington, it's possible, even likely, that Congress will approve the unmerited cuts. That would be a injustice to bright, hard-working students and an unnecessary blow to the future economic health of the United States.
Without Pell grants, many students from families with modest means would not be able to attend college. While the stipends, about $5,500 a year now, don't always cover the full cost of tuition, they do help close the affordability gap. Indeed, many of those who receive Pell grants still hold down jobs and borrow money to make ends meet. Grant recipients willingly do so.
They are mindful that education remains the key to better jobs and to better lives for themselves and for their families. Pell grants served a valuable purpose when they started decades ago and continue to do so, especially in today's difficult economic climate. Any effort to change eligibility or funding formulas and thereby reduce the number of students served should be defeated.
Unfortunately, that's not necessarily the way many politicians view the grants. They simply see a lot of money being paid out and wrongly assume that reducing those payments is a quick way to help reduce the budget deficit. Not so. The Pell grants are costly, but they produce a considerable return on investment. Pell grants help worthy students earn the degrees necessary to find a place in a highly competitive global marketplace. It's hard to accurately determine the value of that, but it is substantial by any measure.
Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander tacitly acknowledges that when he says that Pell grants a priority with him, but undermines his position by saying that they can't be sustained at the current rate. He's right that funding for Pell grants has soared in recent years, but that's a result of the economy, not the program.
As unemployment grows, families that once could pay or help pay for higher education no longer can. That, has helped prompt the rapid rise in Pell grant awards. If Alexander really is serious about making Pell grants a priority, he ought to look at undoing the damage done by Bush-era tax cuts and policies that played a major role in decimating the fortunes of America's middle class and blue-collar workers.
Sen. Bob Corker and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann haven't publicly said much about the future of grants. Each says he will make up his mind about protecting the Pell program when he sees all the cuts and spending included in the budget. They would better serve constituents by supporting Pell funding at current rates and then restoring equity to the nation's tax structure.
Indeed, the nation's legislators should work diligently to make higher education more, not less, accessible to deserving students. Nearly 3,500 UTC students and about half of Chattanooga State's students currently receive Pell grants. Those who believe that cutting Pell funds is a sensible way to help balance the budget should think about those students and hundreds of thousands of others like them around the nation before voting to eviscerate a program that has positively changed the lives of so many students over the years.