President Bush’s policies on education have given birth to
a near-record increase in college enrollment. His 2005 budget not
only continues his support for higher education but nurtures
college students as they venture out into an improving job
market.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers expects the
hiring rate of college graduates to increase by 13.1 percent in
2004-05. In order to ensure that students have a chance to compete
in this friendlier environment with a degree, Bush plans to
increase financial aid in his prospective budget to more than $62
billion, a 6 percent increase over 2004. This $4.2 billion increase
will provide over 400,000 more students financial aid than when he
took office.
He also plans on increasing Pell Grants by $856 million, which
would provide more low-income students with money they will never
have to pay back. Bush will further enhance the program by giving
recipients an additional $1,000 per year if they complete certain
criteria.
According to the official Bush campaign Web site, Democratic
presidential candidate and Sen. John Kerry (Mass.) promises to
spend billions on education, as well, but Kerry significantly
underestimates the cost of his own proposals, exceeding the
education budget outlined on his own Web site by $70 billion.
Bush’s practical education proposals ensure that what he
plans today will become a reality tomorrow.
The president’s record over the past four years has proven
that a realistic attitude produces successful results.
For example, during his first year of office he almost doubled
the resources for GEAR UP, which prepares and gives grants to
low-income middle school and high school students for college. And
this year he increased the GEAR UP budget to $295 million.
The effectiveness of the program resonates locally, as evidenced
by the dramatic 74 percent increase of students taking the SAT at
the North Hollywood High School GEAR UP Project in the Los Angeles
Unified School District.
Forty-four percent of these students scored above the national
average after many took the preparatory classes sponsored by the
program.
In addition to expanding educational programs, Bush strives to
help college students and their families through $9 billion in tax
credits and deductions for students.
By giving people more take-home pay ““ giving parents a
child credit increase from $600 to $1,000 a child and a reduced
marriage penalty”“ he allows families to keep more of their
own money, which they can save for books and tuition.
Whereas Kerry plots about taking your paycheck and entrusting it
to a bureaucracy of politicians to give it back to you,
Bush’s approach saves time and reduces risks by simply
letting you keep your hard-earned dollars in the first place.
Aside from preserving your assets, Bush will protect your
dignity by fighting race-based quotas in the college admissions
process. He recently supported the U.S. Supreme Court’s
decision to strike down the affirmative action plan for the
undergraduate school at the University of Michigan, saying,
“Quota systems that use race to include or exclude people
from higher education and the opportunities it offers are divisive,
unfair and impossible to square with the Constitution. “¦ The
motivation for such an admissions policy may be very good, but its
result is discrimination, and that discrimination is
wrong.”
Bush will ensure that college students, no matter what their
economic situation, will be evaluated as individuals, and if they,
like the 98 percent of low-income and 93 percent of middle-income
students already receiving financial aid, require a well-deserved
grant to pursue their dreams, he will make it happen.
Otter is the president of California Students for
Bush.