From Capitol To Campus

President Bush's proposed first budget, while increasing education funding overall, decreases funding for higher education programs, including financial aid, by 9.8 percent.

Although the President proposes a $100 increase in individual Pell Grants, the grants still fall short because the real value of Pell Grants has declined 18 percent over the past decade and a half. In order to equal their 1975 value, the maximum per student Pell grant award would have to be increased this year to $4,300. The President proposes increasing the maximum Pell Grant from $3,750 to $3,850.

The President's budget does contain a 6.5 percent increase in aid to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and a 5.8 percent increase to Hispanic-serving institutions.

But these increases are tempered by a proposed 23 percent reduction in funds for GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), an initiative that targets low-income and minority students in middle school to promote college awareness.

Finally, there are significant cuts in funding for distance learning through the Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships (LAAP) and teacher quality initiatives.

The LAAP initiative supports partnerships among colleges, businesses, and other organizations to promote technology-mediated distance education. President Bush's proposed budget eliminates this program.

President Bush's budget also proposes dramatic decreases in funding for Teacher Quality Enhancement grants, reducing funding for these grants by $44 million.