PELL GRANTS AND STUDENT LOANS

WHEREAS, for the past two decades the Pell Grants have provided tremendous opportunities for economically disadvantaged students to attend colleges and universities; and

WHEREAS, in the past six years the number of Pell Grants as well as the dollar amount available to each student has been reduced; and

WHEREAS, during the same six-year period, the amount of federally insured student loans has increased sharply; and

WHEREAS, the total dollars owed American banks and savings and loans due to student loans are presently in excess of $44 billion; and

WHEREAS, this system of deferring payment of college expenses is putting an increasingly large debt upon future wage earners, thus discouraging current students from choosing career fields that offer less monetary opportunities for quick repayment of student loans:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers urge Congress to de-emphasize student loans as the major mechanism for funding college education; and

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers urge Congress, as it moves to re-fund the higher education budget, to increase the funds available to the Pell Grant program. (Executive Council)