Don’t gut Pell Grants

DEBATE IS intensifying over the federal Pell Grant program. Some see runaway spending that can’t be sustained in the face of the mounting national debt; others believe no one with skill and determination should be denied a college education for lack of financial resources. We think it’s shortsighted to try to save money by denying people the chance to better themselves, but there is merit in making the program more cost-effective.

The Pell Grant program, started more than 30 years ago to make college accessible to low-income students, is on the chopping block as President Obama negotiates with Congress on how to rein in the country’s debt. The needs-based grants, which do not have to be repaid, can be used at traditional state or private institutions as well as for-profit schools. (Disclosure: Among those for-profits is Kaplan, a subsidiary of The Washington Post Co.) Republicans are clamoring for cuts in Pell grants, either through reducing the maximum award size from $5,550 or restricting student eligibility. The budget passed by the House would slash the maximum grant by 45 percent and cut about 1.5 million students from the program.