Congress Proposes $5.7 Billion in Cuts to Federal Pell Grant Program

On Feb. 19, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a resolution to slash $5.7 billion from the federal Pell grant program that helps make college affordable for millions of low and middle income students. The bill, referred to as H.R. 1, if passed by the Senate will mean a loss of Pell grant funding for 1.5 million students and a 15.2 percent decrease in grant money available for the remaining eligible students.

I am an undergraduate student at a small community college that has very few resources. Unlike many colleges, my school has no dorms or student housing, no meal programs, no daycare center and no health clinic; these are all expenses that my family needs to meet on our own.

I am completely reliant on Pell grants to meet my tuition expenses. The small income I make from working (when I'm not taking care of my children or attending classes full-time, tutoring or doing homework) barely meets my family's basic living expenses.

So far, I have been one of the lucky ones. My past Pell grants have been just enough to cover books and tuition so that I can stay in school. Not so with many students in the US. According to the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, in 2007-2008, fully 86.3 percent of low income four-year undergraduate students had to take loans to finance their college degrees, even after receiving the maximum Pell grant award. The average debt load carried by these students was $24,651.

Carrying this much debt puts an incredible burden on young people trying to get a start in life. If the proposed cuts in Pell grants are implemented, these students will either have to go deeper into debt, delaying any life goals such as marriage, children or home ownership until their student debt is paid off, or forget about getting a college education and our country risks returning to the days when only the very wealthy were college educated.

I am a mom of three who wants to make a difference in the world by becoming a teacher. I believe very strongly in education and am very concerned about the lack of highly qualified math and science teachers in the US today. I am equally concerned about the low numbers of American students entering science, engineering and mathematics professions. I believe having scientifically literate citizens is essential to maintaining America's position as a world leader and innovator.

However, given the choice between taking out several thousand dollars in student loans or leaving school and my dream of becoming a teacher behind, I would have no choice but to leave college. South Dakota Teacher Portal lists the average starting teacher's salary in my state as just $26,111. As much as I'd like to teach and mentor the next generation, it's not fair of me to ask my children to live in debt for the next 10 years while I struggle to pay off massive student loans.

Certainly we all agree that federal spending needs to have limits; the question is which programs and services should be reined in and which should not. Investing in the education of our nation's citizens is an investment not only in their future, but in the future of America.

According to a 2009 study by the Lumina Foundation for Education, it is projected that the US will have a shortfall of 16 million college-educated citizens by the year 2025. Slashing Pell grants could dramatically increase that shortfall by making a college degree inaccessible to millions.

The world's workplace is increasingly competitive, with the highest-paying jobs in sectors served by those with college degrees. Can we really afford to keep allowing America to lag so far behind other countries in education?

America was built on innovation, and that comes from having an educated public. Back in the early 20^th century, a high school education may have been enough, but in our increasingly competitive global market, workers with college degrees are a necessity if America is going to remain a key player in the global marketplace.

H.R. 1, U.S. House of Representatives

National Center for Education Statistics, National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences

South Dakota Teacher Portal, South Dakota Teacher Salary, Teacher Portal

Dewayne Matthews, A Stronger Nation Through Higher Education, Lumina Foundation for Education