Fresno needs more college graduates. Will President Biden’s new education plan help?
Fresno-area students could benefit under President Joe Biden’s new proposal to expand financial aid and offer free higher education to many two and four-year college students.
Biden unveiled the American Families Plan while addressing Congress on April 28. The proposal includes spending $39 billion to provide two years of subsidized tuition at minority-serving institutions for families earning less than $125,000.
Fresno State is one of the 21 California State University campuses designated as a Hispanic-serving institution. To be designated, at least a quarter of undergraduates enrolled must be Hispanic, and at least half of the campus population must be low-income.
Biden administration officials said historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities, and minority-serving institutions “are vital to helping underrepresented students move to the top of the income ladder.”
A majority of students at Fresno State already receive federal student aid, with 65% qualifying for Pell grants.
Education attainment in the central San Joaquin Valley is lower than much of the rest of California, according to information from the U.S. Census Bureau. Fresno, Madera, Kings, and Tulare counties have some of the highest rates of adults without high school diplomas. Studies show a correlation between educational attainment, average earnings, and poverty rates.
Many local students from lower-income homes struggle to afford to attend college consistently. For example, a survey conducted last fall by State Center Community College District reported that 53% of students avoided attending school full time because of high textbook costs.
CSU Chancellor Joseph I. Castro said it was too early for the CSU to endorse the plan, but “the overall gist of the proposal is very much consistent with the CSU mission and priorities and represents a significant increased federal investment in institutions like ours and the students we serve.”
Castro said without legislative language, “it’s not clear that we would embrace all of the ideas in the plan related to postsecondary education. Thus far, the plan has been viewed as fairly partisan, at least in a broad sense.”
The Fresno County Republican Party did not respond to a request for comment on where the local GOP stands on the American Families Plan.
Also included in Biden’s proposal is an attempt to expand Pell grants by up to $1,400 and include access for DREAMers, undocumented people brought to the United States as children.
Castro this year has expressed support for increasing Pell grants and allowing access for DREAMers.
Free community college
Biden is also attempting to offer two years of free community college, although California already waives tuition for certain qualified students.
Some economists say free community college for all, although a popular idea, isn’t the way to increase four-year college graduation rates. It could reduce the number of students in four-year colleges, according to a 2015 report from the Hechinger Report, and still leave low-income Americans behind.
Instead, one team of researchers found, the answer could lie in increasing taxpayer spending at public colleges and only eliminating tuition for families with incomes under $60,000 a year.
The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Read more from The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.