Nation, Bay State Don’t Make the Grade on Affordability
Education
The Eagle-Tribune
Bryan McGonigle
Boston University Washington News Service
Sept. 13
WASHINGTON — College costs have reached unacceptable levels both nationwide and in Massachusetts, according to a recent report from an education advocacy group.
According to the report by the non-partisan, non-profit National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Massachusetts aced categories such as preparation, participation and completion, but got an “F” in affordability.
The commonwealth is not alone: 42 other states, including New Hampshire, got a failing grade in that category. California and Utah shared the highest affordability grade – a “C-”.
“There will be 2.4 million qualified students [nationwide] over this next decade that could gain entrance to our universities and colleges who will not go on to school or colleges because of the cost of education,” Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., said in a telephone press conference Wednesday.
The federal level
Touching on a hot topic for the November congressional elections, Kennedy chastised the Bush Administration and congressional Republicans for what he says are poor educational policies regarding higher education funding.
“This administration has turned its back on middle-income students and neediest students who have academic qualifications and academic achievements,” Kennedy said.
White House spokesman Peter Watkins replied that the Bush administration has made education a top priority from the beginning, citing the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which tied elementary and secondary school funding to educational achievement levels.
“One of the top priorities of the president is to improve the access and accountability in higher education,” Wilkins said.
President Bush also has proposed increased loan forgiveness, from $5,000 to $17,500, for highly qualified math, science and special-education teachers serving low-income communities.
Pell Grant funding has increased 47 percent while Bush has been in office, according to the White House press office, but in its fiscal 2007 budget, the administration called for holding spending for most financial aid and other college programs at their 2006 levels and holding the maximum Pell grant at slightly over $4,000 for the fifth year in a row.
“This last year, in the United States Senate we were able to work out a $12 billion student assistance scholarship program for expansion of the Pell grant program and other assistance on the loan programs that was accepted unanimously, Republicans and Democrats alike,” Kennedy said. “It went to the Congress, and at the urging of the administration, they took the $12 billion… and put it over for tax reductions for the wealthiest individuals.”
The commonwealth
The problem isn’t strictly a federal one. Massachusetts’ other high scores show that those who can attend college are doing so and are getting quality education. But costs have skyrocketed in the Bay State, and state funding has not increased at a comparable rate.
A report by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that lifetime income increases in proportion to the level of education.
“Everybody should have access to education,” said Ernie Greenslade, director of public relations for Northern Essex Community College in Massachusetts’ Merrimack Valley. “Higher Education shouldn’t be something for just those who are financially secure.”
In Massachusetts, according to the center’s report card:
–Since 1992, the average share of family income statewide devoted to college tuition has risen from 28 percent to 34 percent for public four-year colleges and from 72 percent to 83 percent for private four-year colleges.
–A family with an average annual income of $58,050 spends $13,432 – 23 percent of that income – on college tuition for a public four-year institution; and $29, 008 – 50 percent of their income – for a private four-year school.
–The 40 percent of the population with the lowest income — those who try to reach or stay in middle-class status – spend an average of 52 percent of family income on public four-year colleges and 128 percent of income on private four-year colleges.
–At the same time, state investment in need-based financial aid has improved from 38 percent to 51 percent since 1992, and the share of family income spent on the lowest-priced colleges has decreased.
“We’re an expensive state, and we are finding out that the state itself has failed in recent years to give the kind of support and assistance that I think people need,” Kennedy said. “How can we expect the federal government to be putting on federal funds if the state hasn’t shown its commitment?”
State investment in need-based financial aid has actually risen since 1992, according to the study, and the share of income that the poorest families need to pay for tuition has dropped. The ones who suffer most are those families not poor enough to qualify for much financial aid but not wealthy enough to pay for college or avoid costly student loans.
“We have a student loan program that works well for the banks but not for the students,” Kennedy said. “We need to bring competition into this student loan program just like we bring competition into other aspects of federal funding.”
The cost of attending Salem State College is about $16,000 per year, including tuition, room and board and fees. At UMass Lowell, that cost is almost $14,500.
And the community
Community colleges, the report shows, are more affordable. In Massachusetts, a family with an annual income of $58,050 spends only 16 percent of that income on community college tuition. The percentage of average family income statewide spent on community college tuition rose only one percent – 24 percent to 25 percent – from 1992 to 2006.
Another benefit to community colleges is the incentive the state gives students to move up to four-year institutions. In Massachusetts, if students earn a “B” or higher at a community college, the state will pay a large percentage of their tuition at a four-year public college or university.
Every year, more than 15,000 students study at Northern Essex Community College. The college offers associate degrees, continuing education and developmental courses. Tuition is $105 per credit for Massachusetts residents – a little over $3,000 for full-time enrollment – and half the full-time students receive financial aid.
“This year, enrollment was looking up about one percent, and we have seen enrollment increased in the last couple of years,” Greenslade said.
In the fall of 1998, enrollment of full-time students was at 3,059. In the fall of 2005, it was at 3,707 – a 21 percent increase.
In Massachusetts, students can enroll in the Joint Admissions Program. A student who goes to a community college for two years and gets a degree can transfer immediately to a four-year state school at the junior level. And a student accepted into the honors program at Northern Essex Community College is automatically accepted into UMass Amherst’s honor program if the student enrolls at that school.
Greenslade is cautious about reports like the center’s, fearing that they cause people to lose hope and overlook affordable options.
“The reality is that affordability is an issue and has to be very important. But the community colleges are still very affordable,” she said.
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