President Bill Clinton’s new two-part approach to higher education investment–a Pell Grant increase coupled with more extensive tax credits–is drawing a mixed: response among both education advocates and Republicans in Congress.
Educators generally endorse the Pell Grant increase, which would raise the maximum grant by $300 to $3,000 next year. However, some favor an even higher figure, particularly given the economic tilt of the Clinton plan. The $300 Pell crease, aimed at lower-income students, would cost about $15 billion. The tax credits, which may benefit higher-income earners, has a price tag of $35 billion.
“[The tax proposals] create a real dilemma for the higher education community,” said Arnold Mitchem, executive director of the National Council of Educational Opportunity Associations.
The dilemma, according to Mitchem, is that college presidents “can’t go to parents” and criticize the tax plan–which costs more than the annual discretionary budget of the U.S. Education Department. It is his opinion that Congress could use the same $35 billion to raise the maximum Pell Grant to $5,000 a year, nearly double its current rate. Sen. Paul Wellstone (domino.) just introduced a bill (S. 212) to advance such a goal.
