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Salud Carbajal on Education
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Lower interest rates for government-backed student loans
Helping Our Students Achieve a Higher Education: I was the first in my family to graduate from college. That achievement did not come without assistance in the form of working multiple jobs, financial aid, student loans, and the Veterans
Education Assistance Program. Middle-class families are struggling to send their children to college because it is unaffordable.
It's outrageous that so many students and their families have to take on crushing amount of debt just to get the education they need to compete in our economy. What makes it worse is that they are paying higher interest rates than they should.
We need to do everything in our power to make college more affordable including lowering interest rates for government backed loans, and allowing students to refinance their loans.
Source: 2016 California House campaign website SaludCarbajal.com
, Nov 8, 2016
Make two years of community college free.
Carbajal co-sponsored making two years of community college free
Excerpts from press release from Tammy Baldwin, Senate sponsor: The America's College Promise Act makes two years of community college free by:
- Providing a federal match of $3 for every $1 invested by the state to waive community college tuition and fees for eligible students;
- Ensuring that programs offer academic credits which are fully transferable to four-year institutions in their state;
- Establishing a new grant program to provide pathways to success at minority-serving institutions by helping them cover a significant portion of tuition and fees for the first two years of attendance for low-income students.
Community, technical, and tribal colleges enroll 40% of all college students today. Community colleges are uniquely positioned to partner with employers to create tailored training programs to meet economic needs within their communities such as nursing and advanced manufacturing. Opposing argument: (Cato Institute, "College
Courtesy of the Taxpayer? No Thanks," Jan. 9, 2015): One look at either community college outcomes or labor market outlooks reveals free college to be educational folly. Community college completion rates are atrocious: a mere 19.5% of community college students complete their programs. Meanwhile, the for-profit sector has an almost 63% completion rate. And [about 70%] of the new job categories in coming years will require a high school diploma or less.
Opposing argument: (Heritage Foundation, "Free Community College Is a Bad Deal", July 15, 2016): Free college proposals would subject community colleges to the same types of subsidies-induced inflation endemic at four-year institutions. And low-income students already have access to federal Pell Grants, which can cover the bulk of community college tuition. By contrast, a more open market of alternative schooling models, such as online or vocational education programs, could better tailor degrees at a lower cost.
Source: S.1716 & H.R.2962 15-H2962 on Jul 8, 2015
Page last updated: Jun 12, 2020