Written by J.M. Adkison
President Barack Obama recently released his budget plan for the year 2012, and according to a Washington Post article, it shows a plan to increase funding for Federal Pell Grants, as well as financing for his elementary and secondary school reform agendas.In the fiscal 2012 budget plan released on Monday, Feb. 14, overall spending on education would rise to more than $77 billion, increasing by 11 percent. This large amount of spending would go mostly toward keeping Federal Pell Grants at their maximum level, $5,550 a year per eligible student. The Pell Grant, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s website,”provides need-based grants to low income undergraduate and certain post baccalaureate students to promote access to postsecondary education.”Obama also proposed trimming certain aspects of the Pell program, such as eliminating the ability for students to apply for two grants within one calendar year and getting rid of the in-school interest subsidy for graduate students, according to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget’s website.According to the Washington Post, Obama plans to put $900 million into a new Race to the Top school reform contest to inspire reformation within state and local district K-12 education. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget’s Department of Education website proposed providing $1.4 billion for new compe- titions such as “a new ‘First in the World’ competition to test, validate and scale up effective approaches toimproving college access and completion and generating better outcomes for every dollar of investment.”But this new proposal already faces many challenges. According to inside- highered.com, “Given the enormous growth of the Pell Grant Program in the last two years, for instance, the program now faces a $20 billion deficit by the end of 2012, and the administration had to make ‘tough choices’ to sustain the maximum grant at $5,550, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a call with reporters Monday.”According to the Washington Post, the House Republicans are set against Obama’s plan since they want “deep, immediate cuts” in both the Pell Grants and elementary and secondary school reform agendas.”House Republicans would lower the maximum Pell grant to $4,705 and cut other education spending by $4.9 billion, according to their spending proposal for the rest of the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30,” the Washington Post reported. “The GOP proposal is likely to face opposition from Senate Democrats.”Due to opposition from the House Republicans, it is unlikely that Obama will have his budget plan passed, as the House Republicans will significantly trim it down to reduce spending.
