On Sunday the Houston Chronicle ran an editorial applauding the passage of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act through the House of Representatives.
The editorial started:
The Houston Chronicle points out that this is something needed by students because enrollment in both four-year and community colleges is expanding.
The editorial started:
It was a blessed relief last week, in the thick of such intractable issues as health care and Afghanistan, to see the House of Representatives pass a piece of legislation that was urgently needed, made perfect sense and — mirabile dictu — could save taxpayers billions of dollars.
Members approved a bill that would end subsidies to private lenders who currently finance college loans, putting the government directly in charge. This significant measure, a longtime goal of Democrats, would save taxpayers about $87 billion over the next decade, estimates the Congressional Budget Office.
Those savings would be used to boost student grants, improve early education and pre-school programs, support community colleges and modernize public schools.
The Houston Chronicle points out that this is something needed by students because enrollment in both four-year and community colleges is expanding.
Democrats had been working for years to pass legislation curbing subsidies to lenders. Now, with a Democrat-controlled House, and with banks pretty much in the doghouse, the measure passed the House roughly along party lines, 253–171, with only four Democrats voting against and six Republicans in favor.We suggest you learn more about the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act and read the entire editorial.
It is yet to be seen how the bill will fare in the Senate, but for now, it spells good news for students and taxpayers — especially in Texas, where, as reported by the Chronicle's Jeannie Kever, post-high school students have enrolled in record numbers for the current school year, in spite of concerns that the recession would dissuade many of them from entering college.
Community colleges told Kever that enrollment had “skyrocketed,” and preliminary data from four-year colleges show enrollment has increased in many of them too, assuaging fears that more students might opt for the cheaper community colleges.
