In late January, the new education secretary made headlines for criticizing a children's program on PBS which features an animated rabbit visiting a real family headed by lesbian parents. The Campaign for America's Future's Earl Hadley wonders where Secretary Spellings' priorities are. Working families around the country are struggling to pay for college. Two days before Christmas, the administration announced that it would enforce a change in the Pell grant funding formula that will eliminate Pell Grants for nearly 100,000 students and cut the aid for more than one million students. How about focusing on that?
Earl Hadley is the education program coordinator at the Campaign For America's Future.
What's today's word, class? Priorities. The new secretary of education's first act after taking office was to condemn a cartoon. Let's not worry about the achievement gap. Let's not worry about rising tuition. Let's not even worry about investigating the Education Department for paying commentators to promote its policies… No, in her first act, Secretary Spellings decided to take on Buster the Bunny—an animated character who happens to make friends with a little girl named Emma whose parents are lesbians.
PBS developed a series—Postcards From Buster —in which Buster travels to different communities around the country to highlight cultural diversity. In a letter to PBS, Spellings sharply criticized Buster's visit to a gay household in Vermont—saying that "many parents would not want their young children exposed to the life-styles portrayed in this episode."
Instead of protecting America's children from the "gay agenda," Spellings should have used her time to support legislation protecting 89,000 college students at risk of losing their Pell Grants—thanks to an eligibility change instituted by her predecessor. Pell Grants help low- and middle-income families send their children to college. She should have spent her time convincing the president to significantly increase the maximum Pell Grant next year—higher than the $100 he's proposing.
In the future—instead of writing letters—Spellings needs to use her influence to make sure that President Bush actually raises the maximum Pell Grant. In 2000, Bush—who calls himself the 'education' president—campaigned on increasing the maximum Pell Grant to $5,100. But his last budget left the maximum grant at $4,050. There's no reason to believe Bush is being sincere now, particularly when he and conservatives in Congress over the past few years have ignored bills proposing to raise the maximum Pell Grant. The president's recent proposed increase was a response to the outrage around students losing their Pell Grants. It's up to progressives to keep Bush's feet to the fire, if families are going to see this increase.
Instead of serving as a foot soldier for conservative censorship, Spellings needs to pay attention to the concerns of the majority of Americans—families and students struggling to pay for college. Below are a few examples of why the education secretary needs to put students and their families first:
Amie K. - Texas: My brother, Ryan, joined the Army in order to be able to afford school. Our parents don't make enough money to put three children through college, but they also make too much for us to qualify for grants. Now he is in Iraq. He is risking his life for an education. How sad that the "best" government on earth leaves young people with very bleak options when considering an education.
Janelle E. - California: I am the hope of my family. Our goal is that I will earn a degree from the University of California and through time, lift us all out of poverty. The only reason I am able to attend the university is because I earned, through excellent grades in high school, federal and state financial aid help. My FAFSA report shows that my mother has a parental obligation of around $1,000 per year, but she is not capable of this much. Any cut in financial aid programs will be felt by me and other students. Without funding, we would in effect be kicked out of college.
The Campaign for America's Future has collected similar stories from across the country that show—often in heart-wrenching detail—the impact of Bush's failed higher-education policies. Maybe the education secretary should read some of these stories to help her get her priorities in order. Spellings needs to stop worrying about the social visits of animated rabbits and focus on ensuring that all qualified students can afford college.
To read more stories, or submit your own, go to:
http://straighttalk.ourfuture.org/
