In the 21st century a shortage of skilled workers, especially in the fields of science, engineering and information technology, threatens economic growth in the New England and across the country. The New England Council has long advocated for improving access to quality education and increasing the number of skilled workers for our region’s businesses. The Council supports efforts to make more financial aid available to students, as well as investment in improvements to universities and colleges. The Council also works to bring together educators and employers to ensure that our institutions of higher learning are providing students with the skills needed to thrive in the modern workplace.
The Council counts among its members a broad spectrum of higher education advocates in the region. From large private universities to small community colleges; from region-wide policy boards to career development centers serving individual cities; the New England Council brings together members from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives.
In recent years, the Higher Education Policy Committee has carefully monitored sweeping changes affecting education and workforce development, including the restructuring of the federal financial aid system, proposals for the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind law, the increasing emphasis on STEM education and its role in bolstering an economically competitive workforce, and competitive innovation grants worth hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding for education in New England.
The NEC staff contact for the Higher Education Committee is Kate Brittain.
Pell Grant Program
The New England Council believes that investment in higher education will lead to a stronger and more dynamic workforce and, in turn, a stronger and more dynamic economy. To that end, the Council is a strong supporter of federal financial assistance programs, such as the Pell Grant. In the spring and summer of 2011, as Congress considered drastic budget cuts to address the federal deficit, the New England Council is urged the New England Congressional Delegation to maintain funding levels to ensure that New England residents have access to higher education and that the region has a highly-skilled and innovative workforce.
In August 2011, President Obama signed legislation to raise the debt ceiling while also cutting over $900 billion in federal funding over the next ten years. Yet even in an extremely budget-conscious atmosphere, members of Congress singled out the Pell Grant program for an increase in funding to guarantee college access for low-income students. Under the terms of the new law, Pell will receive $10 billion in fiscal year 2012 and $7 billion in fiscal 2013, for a total of $17 billion. While this funding still leaves a $1.3 billion projected shortfall if the maximum grant level is to be preserved at its current level of $5,550, the funding in the debt ceiling law will go a long way toward ensuring college access for the 9.4 million students across the country who depend on Pell Grants for college education. Ending in-school subsidies for interest on graduate student loans will save $18.1 billion and ending financial incentives for on-time student loan payments will save would save $3.6 billion. The $21.6 billion total over ten years will pay for the Pell Grant funding and reduce the deficit by the remaining $4.6 billion.
Higher Education Opportunity Act
Since the authorization of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) in 2008, there have been several significant changes made to the structure of the federal student financial aid system. The Healthcare and Education Reconciliation Act of 2009, part of the healthcare reform, included an overhaul to the federal student loan program. Instead of guaranteeing student loans through private lenders, the federal government now originates all student loans itself, at a savings of about $68 billion over the first 11 years. The U.S. Department of Education continues to oversee a rulemaking process set in motion by HEOA, creating and updating regulations on accreditation, student loans, and other issues. The New England Council continues to monitor the rollout of HEOA regulations for their effect on the region’s institutions of higher education.
From the $787 billion economic stimulus passed in 2009, New England states have received over $3.5 billion to turn around failing schools and rescue education programs from state and local budget cuts. Both Massachusetts and Rhode Island were winners in the second round of the Race to the Top competitive grant program with a combined $325,000,000 from the Department of Education. As Congress considered the stimulus package, the New England Council advocated for the package to include funding for new construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation and/or restoration, and other infrastructure improvements at New England’s higher education institutions.
With the economy just beginning to recover, the Higher Education Committee is focused on policies that will promote investment in the region’s and the country’s human capital and getting workers the education and training they need to get back to work. It is vital that graduates’ skill sets match the skills in demand by employers, particularly in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. From on-site work training programs and adult education to youth co-op programs and K-12 STEM education, the federal government must invest in its workforce in order to regain and grow our economic competitiveness in an increasingly global economy.
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