Date: Fri 14-Nov-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: MICHEL

Quick Words:

schools-finance-Maloney

Full Text:

Making The Essential Education Affordable

BY MICHELE HOGAN

Tuition at Yale University is currently about $28,000 a year. State

Universities, although less expensive, often run about $14,000 per year, which

can put a serious financial burden on students attending college and their

families.

Jane McEvoy, career coordinator at Newtown High School, said that "it's not

only the competition to get into an `excellent' school, but dealing with

financial considerations as well," that put stress on senior students and

their families.

Mrs McEvoy said that sometimes the schools that have a reputation for

"excellence" are not always the most sensible choice. Attending a school where

you are "a little more qualified than the rest of the student body" can help a

great deal with affordability. One student she mentioned who is attending

Syracuse University received $6,000 off the $14,000 tuition. Many "better"

colleges would have been unaffordable.

Congressman Maloney announced a new tax law aimed to help make higher

education more affordable. "The new tax law makes the largest investment in

higher education since the 1945 GI Bill, including many tax credits to help

open the doors of higher education to every student and every family.

"The new tax law includes a $1,500 HOPE Scholarship which makes the first two

years of college as universally available as a high school diploma is today.

Connecticut students will receive a scholarship of 100 percent on the first

$1,500 of tuition and fees and 50 percent on the second $1,000.

"It also includes a 20 percent tuition tax credit for college juniors,

seniors, graduate students and working Americans pursuing lifelong learning to

upgrade their skills. The 20 percent credit will be applied to the first

$5,000 of tuition and fees through 2002, and to the first $10,000 thereafter."

Mrs McEvoy said that "the Congressman came up with a start, a help for some."

There are also a dozen other programs available to Connecticut students which

provide grants and loans of varying amounts.

Congressman Maloney, addressing an audience of Newtown High School seniors,

said the local economy is "based not on bringing pieces of metal together

[referring to local silver and brass industry] but on thought and knowledge."

He went on to say that "the difference in average income over the course of a

lifetime between a student who doesn't finish high school to a graduate from

college is a million dollars."

He also said that "a generation ago you could make an argument: `I could

finish high school and get a job.' Those days are gone."

Congressman Maloney said that "every young person should be able to afford to

get a higher education."

The Congressman pointed out that all higher education, including trade

schools, are included in the new program.

There are many aid programs available, and Mrs McEvoy recommends that when

students apply to college, they apply for financial aid from all sources. For

more information, contact the guidance department at Newtown High School.