Perhaps the thinking is to eliminate Pell for the first two years of college. I could see something like that where the cost of the first two years is subsidized for a broader group of income levels and then in year 3 & 4 Pell kicks in. If private colleges wanted to subsidize lower SES for year one and two then they would be doing it on their own dime. I have to think about this more but on surface it seems to make sense.
Eliminate a government program?!? Or even scale it back?? That’s blasphemy!!
No, the thinking is not to eliminate anything. The thinking is never to eliminate anything. The thinking is to say free and get everyone all excited. But, nothing is ever free and there is no financial barrier to a CC now for anyone with enough sense to do well. The students speaking about what they see with their own eyes is very helpful and correct, unfortunately. And, it’s not going to happen. Fortunately.
That’s the old saying…“In order to find out how truly expensive something is, give it away for free!”
How is giving people the opportunity to be educated a bad thing?
The opportunity to be educated at a CC is already widely available and the seats are quite full in my area and the price of admission academically and financially is very low so I don’t see how a federal takeover of something called community college is a good idea at all. But, it sounds nice doesn’t it?
Well lucky you to be living in an area with low CC tuition. Where I live, CC isn’t a whole lot cheaper than the state U.
Okay, another good reason to keep the whole thing local as the system is designed to serve the community, hence the name community college. One size does not fit all at all in terms of class offerings and costs. Here it’s easily under 2K per year and there are many ways to pay nothing including dual enrollment, scholarships for all, fee waivers for doing the paperwork, and Pell grants for the low income that give you spending money as a bonus. Also, the kid who gets out of there in two years with anything of value is the exception not the rule. I have one of those. Most of his former classmates are still there taking whatever and they are managing to pay for it somehow. Good for them. It’s a start.
I think it is a great idea. If you want a better society then educate people, make it affordable for everyone. There is nothing sadder then not being able to afford school.
There have already been studies done about providing good day care for children and the benefits reaped thirty years later. We should fall over ourselves to fund programs that ultimately support the well being of this country. You pay one way or another, it may as well be the better choice. A small price to pay early in life , a large price to pay later. A list of the benefits:
• 25% more likely to drop out of school
• 40% more likely to become a teen parent
• 50% more likely to be placed in special education
• 60% more likely to never attend college
• 70% more likely to be arrested for a violent crime
I for one would like to provide the best chance of this country in helping people make more intelligent decisions when living their life. I know a lot of you don’t want to support this because it is expensive but so is the over burdened criminal system and welfare. This makes sense and it is the “right” thing to do.
http://www.ounceofprevention.org/about/why-early-childhood-investments-work.php
I think my problem is that I know CC students who are no more employable now than they were a few years ago when the entered the CC and they have no plans to do anything about it. Making it free would not cause them to find a goal and transfer to a university and that wouldn’t be free, anyway. So, the CC education needs to be of some value. For most students it just isn’t. The transfer and graduation rates are very, very low. And, if everyone goes for free it’s just an extension of high school eventually. How about we concentrate on high school instead of making CC remedial HS?
I don’t see anywhere in Obama’s proposal the idea that we need to make CCs remedial HS. I think you’re really reaching, there, marie.
The required GPA is 2.5. Mandatory attendance is half-time The price tag is 60-billion over 10 years. Thank goodness it’s going nowhere.
However, it would be nice if we could talk about something realistic that actually has a chance of passing and accomplishing something rather than just “Yippee free!” but I guess that’s too complicated.
Yes, it’s complicated to try out new ideas. Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. There was a time when man flying to the moon – or the implementation of significant health care reform – was considered unrealistic.
There is a balance that needs to be struck between opportunity and investment. I just hate throwing money at something without clearly defined goals and a high likelihood for a decent return on investment.
I think the criteria used for a lot of financial aid is misguided and lacks accountability.
[QUOTE]
A list of the benefits:
• 25% more likely to drop out of school
• 40% more likely to become a teen parent
• 50% more likely to be placed in special education
• 60% more likely to never attend college
• 70% more likely to be arrested for a violent crime
I for one would like to provide the best chance of this country in helping people make more intelligent decisions when living their life. I know a lot of you don’t want to support this because it is expensive but so is the over burdened criminal system and welfare. This makes sense and it is the “right” thing to do.
[QUOTE/]
If only this program even touch any of those issues!
This is a good moment for me to exit this discussion, lol.
If community college were free, would that apply to high schoolers taking dual credit classes? If it were free, then more high schoolers would take dual credit classes and be able to get a head start on their degrees and then they might have more incentive to graduate from a university.
It’s already free for them in my state. I have a kid who did exactly that.
@adkdad, you miss my point. If we want and expect better citizens, we need to approach differently where we decide to spend money in this country. What we have done in the past is not working, and we will struggle with our general populous being less able to move into better circumstances. I am not talking about getting master degrees, I just want them to be aware there is more than welfare and crime and if there is 20% who excel into higher education, then good for us. Even if you want to succeed at a blue collar job, you need to be able to read and write and converse intelligently. It is a crime when half the population can’t identify the Atlantic ocean on a map. The education system needs to change and it should start early in preschool and have an outlet available for college that does not cause someone to go into debt.
Who paid for your kid, Marie, if not the taxpayers? It’s okay for others to pick up the tab for your child but you don’t want to contribute for somebody else’s? Why is that?