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Stop the raid on student aid!

For 40 years, the federal Higher Education Act has worked to open the doors of our nation's colleges and universities to all students, regardless of their financial circumstances, by supporting grant and loan programs for low- and middle-income students.

Each time the act has been reauthorized in the past, Congress has built on this record of improving access to higher education.

That could change this fall. Congress is now wrangling over renewal of the act. Proposed changes to the act could threaten the very foundation of public education-access, fairness, and affordability.

Your voice is needed!

By gouging financial aid, this bill could punch irreparable holes in the pockets of families already struggling to send their kids to college.

Education supporters are on high alert. Not only are affordability and access to higher education at stake, so is academic freedom.

MEA-MFT and its national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) are working for a higher education act that will:

Provide more grant aid to the neediest students, by increasing the maximum Pell Grant, capping loans at the lowest levels, and maintaining low fixed rates for consolidation. These measures could keep families from taking on more debt to pay college costs.
Protect students from fraud and abuse at for-profit institutions.
Retain educational support programs to ensure academically needy students are guided toward success.
Avoid using graduation rates to measure success, as student retention is complicated by student populations that attend part time, transfer, or work during college years and take longer to graduate.
Maintain autonomy for educators and avoid the ideological litmus test that the so-called Academic Bill of Rights would impose on the hiring and retention of faculty.
Provide funding for teacher education, especially at community colleges.

MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver said, "It's time for higher education supporters to tell Congress what's most important for education in this country: more grant aid, less expensive loans, no government intrusion on academic freedom, and checks on fraud and abuse at for-profits."

U.S. House and Senate committees have passed different versions of the act's reauthorization. As we go to press, the Senate version is far better for educators and students, although everything is in flux.

Stay tuned and make your voice heard by visiting the AFT Legislative Action Center: www. unionvoice.org/campaign/fedstudentaid.

Stay tuned by visiting and make your voice heard on this issue by visiting the AFT Legislative Action Center: www.unionvoice.org/campaign/fedstudentaid.