The College More of the Same Act

Neal McCluskeyIf you were expecting big steps forward on the Higher Education Act from the House Committee on Education and Labor, prepare to be disappointed. Yesterday, the Democratic majority released theCollege Affordability Act—which for some reason says “Est. 2019”—and it delivers pretty much what we’ve seen established since about 1969: A general conviction that what higher ed mainly needs is more government money…and no openly for-profit schools.The centerpieces of the bill are federal funds to encourage states to make community colleges free, increases in Pell Grants, cheaper student loans, and cracking down “on predatory for-profit colleges.” Let’s look at each of these very briefly.Free Community CollegeThe nearly1,200 page bill, which committee staffers estimate wouldcost about $400 billion over 10 years, would offer funds to states that agreed to make their community colleges tuition-and-fee free while at least holding steady other higher ed funding. The bill sets up quickly escalating appropriations for this starting at about $1.6 billion in 2021, peaking at $16.3 billion in 2030.This is short of the free four-year college plans that some Democrats, especially on thecampaigntrail, are talking about, but it would nonetheless be a new federal effort to incentivize “free” college. But not only is the national debtapproaching $23 trillion—where will the federal money come from?—states havemajor budget constraints of their own. Perhaps even m...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs