New York State Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson are the most recent vocal 2008 Democratic presidential candidates vying for college voters and their parents as they lay out proposals that will ease exorbitant college tuition costs and tedious financial aid paperwork.
Clinton promised to provide students with a $3,500 tuition tax credit and increase Pell grants, which help middle- and low-income students pay for college.
Clinton’s proposed plan would more than double the existing tax credit for students and their families from $1,650 to $3,500.
Taxpayers would be able to claim 100 percent of the first $1,000 of college expenses and 50 percent of the next $5,000, Clinton said in a recent New York Times article.
Clinton introduced her extensive plan last week at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, a state that has one of the highest college tuitions in the nation. She appealed to students there by stressing that, while her family paid for her tuition and room and board at Wellesley College, she put herself through law school at Yale University.
“I remember how homesick and lonely I was when I went to college. I just felt like I was in over my head, that everyone in the college was smarter than me,” she told The Times. “My parents said, ‘You have to stick it out for the semester,’ and luckily, things changed. But a lot of people have no one to talk to about that.”
Gov. Richardson of New Mexico also spoke in New Hampshire last week. He proposed that students be made eligible for two years of free tuition at a public university for every year they devote to public service.
Richardson said in The Times article that he would pay for his proposal by cutting “billions of dollars in loan subsidies to private banks and lenders” and cut “unnecessary cold-war-era weapons systems.”
Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards has also introduced a plan for national education changes. He is calling for universal preschool and a national university for teachers to attend.
“Teachers, not tests, are the single most important factor in successful schools,” said Edwards in a Washington Post article.
He plans to focus on improving conditions for teachers, proposing to give every teacher in low-poverty schools who do well on tests $5,000 in bonus pay, according to the article.
Clinton also proposed increasing the maximum amount available to Pell grant recipients, providing $500 million in grants to community colleges, doubling the tuition assistance provided to AmeriCorps participants and spending $250 billion on apprenticeship and job-training programs for those who don’t go to college.
Noting that fewer than two-thirds of students who start college graduate, Clinton proposed $250 million in grants for colleges and universities that develop innovative programs to boost their graduation rates, particularly for low-income and minority students.
Clinton also proposed reforms and improvements to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Currently, the application costs Americans 100 million hours a year, according to Clinton.
“You practically need a Ph.D. to understand how to fill out these forms,” said Clinton.
Her simpler process is that families would check a box on their tax returns, and the Department of Education would calculate their federal aid eligibility.
“I think that it’s a great idea that the government provides a service like this to parents,” said Nicole Gallucci ’09. “I know that the paperwork for our tuition can get really tedious.”
Many Democratic candidates have plans for education changes that include improving public school and boosting higher education rates.
Proposals are usually centered on expanding early childhood education, overhauling the No Child Left Behind law, increasing aid to college students and providing more support to public school teachers.
Where they stand: What these candidates would do for you
Full Name: Hillary Rodham Clinton Political Office: U.S. Senator from New York; elected 2000; re-elected 2006 Education: B.A., Wellesley College, 1969; J.D. Yale University, 1973 Business/Professional Experience: Partner, Rose Law Firm (Little Rock, Ark.), 1979-1992 Date of Birth: Oct. 26, 1947 Campaign Web site: hillaryclinton.com College Affordability Platform: Promised to provide students with a $3,500 tuition tax credit and increase Pell grants, which help middle- and low-income students pay for college.
Full Name: William Blaine Richardson III Political Office: Governor of New Mexico; elected 2002; U.S. Representative from New Mexico, 1983-1997 Education: B.A., Tufts University, 1970; M.A., Tufts’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, 1971 Date of Birth: Nov. 15, 1947 Campaign Web site: richardsonforpresident.com College Affordability Platform: Proposed that students be made eligible for two years of free tuition at a public university for every year that they devote to public service. The plan would cost roughly $60 billion a year.
Full Name: John Reid Edwards Political Office: U.S. Senator from North Carolina, 1999-2005 Education: B.S., North Carolina State University, 1974; J.D., University North Carolina, 1977 Date of Birth: June 10, 1953 Campaign Web site: johnedwards.com College Affordability Platform: Called for universal preschool and a national university for teachers, which would appeal to voters in rural areas, with a plan specifically for South Carolina that would offer incentive pay of up to $15,000 to teachers in low-income schools.
Click to read the NY Times article on Clinton and Richardson
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