• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Log In
Itemlive

Itemlive

North Shore news powered by The Daily Item

  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Police/Fire
  • Government
  • Obituaries
  • Archives
  • E-Edition
  • Help
This article was published 4 year(s) and 5 month(s) ago

Expand Pell Grants to open higher ed doors

the-editors

December 25, 2020 by the-editors

Editorial from the Seattle Times editorial board

        

This year’s pandemic-fueled economic downturn has not been felt equally throughout the working population. Rather, it has painfully illustrated that jobs requiring a postsecondary credential tend not only to pay better but to also be more resilient.

But enrollment at most state colleges has slumped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications for financial assistance have slowed. That’s why congressional action expanding access to federal need-based aid for higher education was a welcome inclusion in the year-end omnibus spending bill that landed on President Donald Trump’s desk this week.

Once approved, the legislation will render an estimated 1.7 million new students eligible for the maximum Pell Grant award and qualify an additional 555,000 students for some federal assistance, according to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

It dramatically simplifies the cumbersome aid application process, slashing dozens of questions from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and making it easier for students experiencing homelessness or with a history in foster care to apply for aid.

The bill also restores Pell Grant eligibility for students who have been convicted of drug-related offenses and for those who are serving time in prison or jail. Removing these wrongly erected barriers helps individuals and communities, as people who pursue degrees while they are imprisoned are less likely to reoffend and can have a smoother reentry into society.

These are significant improvements. As Murray wrote in a statement, “Every single person in this country should be able to access and afford a quality higher education — and today we move substantially closer to that goal.”

Simply put, no state in the nation can afford to squander its population’s talents and abilities. Improving access to federal aid for higher education is a welcome step toward making sure every student has the chance to thrive.

  • the-editors
    the-editors

    View all posts

Related posts:

No related posts.

Primary Sidebar

Advertisement

RELATED POSTS:

No related posts.

Sponsored Content

What questions should I ask when choosing a health plan?

Advertisement

Footer

About Us

  • About Us
  • Editorial Practices
  • Advertising and Sponsored Content

Reader Services

  • Subscribe
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Activate Subscriber Account
  • Submit an Obituary
  • Submit a Classified Ad
  • Daily Item Photo Store
  • Submit A Tip
  • Contact
  • Terms and Conditions

Essex Media Group Publications

  • La Voz
  • Lynnfield Weekly News
  • Marblehead Weekly News
  • Peabody Weekly News
  • 01907 The Magazine
  • 01940 The Magazine
  • 01945 The Magazine
  • North Shore Golf Magazine

© 2025 Essex Media Group