Higher education programs got a partial reprieve recently when Congress and the Clinton administration declared a truce in their budget battle and provided important funding, along with student aid guidelines that will last through mid-March.
The legislation funds federal programs through March 15 and provides important direction on the Pell Grant program so that the government, families and students can begin making plans for the 1996-97 school year.
For example, the agreement outlines a maximum Pell Grant of $2,440, or $100 above the maximum grant for fiscal year 1995. President Clinton had wanted an increase up to $2,620, but the $100 increase reflects a bipartisan attempt to raise the maximum for needy students.
The interim agreement will not reduce the number of grants awarded under Pell.
Other programs will receive whichever is lower — fiscal 1995 funding or the 1996 spending recommendations passed by the House last year. In effect, that means:
* A freeze in funding for college work/ study, TRIO and Title III programs for historically Black colleges and universities;
* A 28-percent cut in vocational education grants to states, pro-rated through March 15;
