Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy offered an amendment to increase the amount awarded to Pell grant recipients from $4,050 a year to $4,250 a year. This critical increase can mean the difference between a student being able to attend a four year institution or community college or forgoing the opportunity to receive a college education. In Massachusetts alone, nearly 80,000 students at Massachusetts colleges and universities received over $180 million in Pell grants last year.
Senator Kennedy offered his amendment on the Senate floor this morning.
Senator Kennedy said, “Giving young Americans the chance to get a college education is fundamentally an issue of fairness. As a nation we can’t afford to lose our young minds and to waste the opportunity to keep us globally competitive. Instead of lining the pockets of the wealthy with tax cuts, we should be giving our students the resources they need to go to college. America deserves better. The Pell grant provides the indispensable link to between hardworking families and a college education. The United States has never shied away from meeting the challenges of educating tomorrow’s leaders, and this amendment is a reasonable step forward in ensuring that our future is in good hands. "
