WASHINGTON, July 14, 2009
Obama Seeks $12B for Community Colleges
President's Plan Would Give Two-Year Schools Grants To Expand Programs, Improve Infrastructure
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President Barack Obama is set to roll out a plan to invest $12 billion in community colleges over the next decade. (AP Photo)
Mr. Obama was outlining his four-part program in a speech Tuesday afternoon at Macomb Community College in Warren, Mich.
Under the initiative, schools could qualify for "challenge grants" so they'll have money to give new programs a try, or expand training and counseling.
Dropout rates would be addressed by designing programs to help students who want to earn an associate's degree or transfer to a four-year institution do so.
Money would be spent to renovate outdated facilities or build new ones, and to develop online courses and make them freely available to students and others who want to use them.
The total federal cost is $12 billion over a decade. Of that, $9 billion would go toward challenge grants and addressing dropout rates. Half a billion, or $500 million, would go toward online education. The remaining $2.5 billion would be used to spark $10 billion in renovation and construction nationwide, said James Kvaal, an Obama economic policy adviser.
Some of the money could be available by the 2010 budget year that begins Oct. 1.
Mr. Obama speaks of expanded education and job training as a way to help workers compete for jobs such as those expected in the clean energy industry, when the economy turns around and begins to create jobs again instead of shedding them.
"In an economy where jobs requiring at least an associate's degree are projected to grow twice as fast as jobs requiring no college experience, it's never been more essential to continue education and training after high school," Mr. Obama said Sunday in a Washington Post op-ed piece.
"It's time to reform our community colleges so that they provide Americans of all ages a chance to learn the skills and knowledge necessary to compete for the jobs of the future," he said.
Community colleges have been feeling pinched lately. Enrollments have been increasing for several reasons, including rising college costs at public and private institutions, and because of the economy, as people who've lost jobs enroll to learn new skills.
About 6 million students attend community college. Mr. Obama wants to increase community college enrollment to 11 million by 2020, Kvaal said.
In his speech to a joint session of Congress earlier this year, the president urged every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training.
Mr. Obama's stop in Michigan will be his first visit to the state since he defeated Republican Sen. John McCain there in the presidential election.
The trip wasn't all about policy, however.
Before returning to the White House, Mr. Obama, an athlete who is more into basketball and, lately, golf, was dropping into Busch Stadium in St. Louis to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Major League Baseball's annual All-Star game.
It will be his first pitch as president. Mr. Obama skipped traditional opening day invites.
© MMIX The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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- I am glad Obama is spending all of my money. I was sure worried trying to figure out how I could spend it all and the amount of time that would take. Fortunately the guy was elected and now I don't have that problem. In fact, he has now spent all of the money I will earn in the rest of my lifetime as well. That will save me more than a year in wasted time trying to spend it on my own family. Thanks for your thoughtfullness.
Taxpayer - Reply to this comment
- I'll be one of the first to say it. I never felt insecure after 911 in that I would be hurt in a future terriost attack so nothing Bush-Cheney did and nothing that Obama-Biden are doing changes any of that. The governments of Russia, China and India don't seem to be sweating the soccer mom attitude of this US government. Today it was announced that Goldman Sachs received 100 cents on the dollar for all its losses from AIG paid for by US Tax Payers in the 1st Stimulus plan, I guess. That money could have helped colleges. Unless something spectacular occurs Obama will never get a vote from me in a second term run. It looks more and more like the Federal Reserve is one of the real bosses.
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- Obama believes that the role of government is to be a national charity and printing money is free.
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- It took 30 years of malicious Republican policies - policies designed to enrich the few by taking income from the middle class and working poor - to get this economy in this mess.
Yet the righties still scream for more of the same...gotta have tax cuts, they always say.
Apparently, the rest of you Americans still have some money stashed away somewhere - and the righties can smell it. - Reply to this comment
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- You people are fools if you think the average guy is going to like paying more for energy via Cap and Trade, paying higher taxes, less employment because of the assault on business and as well doing all of this with inflation which reduces how far everyones money goes rich or poor.
Obama has been an unmitigated disaster so far and he continues to do it every day. Spend, spend, spend...
- You people are fools if you think the average guy is going to like paying more for energy via Cap and Trade, paying higher taxes, less employment because of the assault on business and as well doing all of this with inflation which reduces how far everyones money goes rich or poor.
- I am worried about the people 50 plus and older that were just terminated from our company. Half of the company had 20+ yrs of experience under their belts and still can not find jobs. I don't see how going to school for 4 years is going to help them. Should they get degrees close to 60 yrs old whom will hire them?
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- Don't agree with more spending of money our government doesn't have, but 12 Billion for Community Colleges and 48 Billion in foreign aid. Spend more on other countries, which haven't advance much in last decade and aren't our responsibility anyway and less on education in this country. This man is a genius!!
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- Community Colleges do a great service to the community and the students. Governor Pat Brown of California pioneered the expansion of Community Colleges in the state of California and we all have been reaping the benefits of those efforts ever since.
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- There are NO green energy jobs, PERIOD...San Antonio has a green energy wind turbine producing element NOW, and they can't even find any customers for it because it's too freaking expensive...and the dumb and dumber who voted to allow it in are now having to pick up the tab for NOTHING! It is already a FAILED ENTITY...NOT PRODUCING ONE NEW JOB or freaking green energy!
It can't even support 1% of the city's GRID! - Reply to this comment
- Rhetoric aside . . . I think it's a great proposal . . . Education Now
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- Funding education - a neocon's worst nightmare.
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- Since the President has already made it very clear that his Administration plans to continue to increase the unemployment rate, where is this $12B going to come from? You can't tax people who are out of work!
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- "Mr. Obama speaks of expanded education and job training as a way to help workers compete for jobs such as those expected in the clean energy industry, when the economy turns around and begins to create jobs again instead of shedding them."
This is the funniest thing. Spain tried this, did not work. No jobs for clean energy. This is laughable. - Reply to this comment
- Finally after Billions and billions of taxpayers dollars being spent finally something i can get behind him on. I think pleaser in chief is just going to spend money on everyting until he finds something to make everyone happy but unfortunately by then we will have the greatest deficit in US history, and i'm sure the only people who are ok with that are some of the 44% of american citizens who DON'T pay taxes.
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- We already have the greatest deficit in US history. Also a little understood and never reported fact is that the Bush Tax cuts which all the news organizations reported as a tax cut for the rich, actually increased to a record number the people that do not pay any taxes at all in the lower income brackets.
- by CPelzar July 14, 2009 11:39 AM EDT "increased to a record number the people that do not pay any taxes at all in the lower income brackets."
LOLLL...yeah, 'cuz they followed that up with ever more inequitable free trade, causing them to have no income at all.
- y ibsteve2u July 14, 2009 1:15 PM EDT
by CPelzar July 14, 2009 11:39 AM EDT "increased to a record number the people that do not pay any taxes at all in the lower income brackets."
LOLLL...yeah, 'cuz they followed that up with ever more inequitable free trade, causing them to have no income at all.
bsteve2u, Your statement is just factually wrong. But that is Ok don;t let facts get in the way of a good ole hatred mantras. The reason the record number of people has increased is because all tax brackets were cut under Bush and that resulted in a record number of people falling off of the tax logs.
- Make that dumping hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars into the war in Iraq. That place is a money pit and we need to get out of it as soon as possible. Priorities, folks, priorities.
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- Better than dumping hundreds of millions of dollars into unjustified wars like the one in Iraq. Investing in the AMERICAN education is a huge step up than wasting it on wars, as far as I'm concerned. We have a crumbling education system that is in bad need of repair. Screw the ditto-heads and the horse they rode in on!
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- How about Universities going to a full year education cycle. They would get 33% more productivity with little additional dollars spent. Same building, same infrastructure etc. Oh yes of course the professors will have to give up their 5 month vacation every year.
- by garotte72 July 14, 2009 10:59 AM EDT
Better than dumping hundreds of millions of dollars into unjustified wars like the one in Iraq. Investing in the AMERICAN education is a huge step up than wasting it on wars, as far as I'm concerned. We have a crumbling education system that is in bad need of repair. Screw the ditto-heads and the horse they rode in on!
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This comment real doesn't deserve a response...however it's going to get one...
According your sorry arse we should've just laid down and died so Obama's arabic/muslim brethern could get their jollies off again by murdering 3,000 more Americans?
Again, going knocking on their sorry Muslim honking doors keeps you safe...if you don't like paying for it, go the heck somewhere else and let them murder behind...just go live in Iraq, Iran, or any of the arabic/muslim states where you'll be totally hated...
But get out of my country because we don't lay down and die for anybody.
- Better than dumping hundreds of millions of dollars into unjustified wars like the one in Iraq. Investing in the AMERICAN education is a huge step up than wasting it on wars, as far as I'm concerned. We have a crumbling education system that is in bad need of repair. Screw the ditto-heads and the horse they rode in on!
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- You are an idiot, education could have helped you. The US higher education system is the finest on the world and even it was not, where does this money come from? Explain that to me.
- Lol! Correction: Our UNIVERSITIES are the finest in the world. But there has been a recent trend of more non-Americans attending those shining schools than Americans. I see nothing wrong with the Federal government encouraging and helping more AMERICANS attend American Universities. And don't get me started on the abysmal state of American elementary and grade schools. You need to get a clue, my friend.
- Also American Universities have been seeing huge increases in enrollments for the past 8 years. So who exactly and ho many people are being denied because they cannot afford it?
- How about Universities going to a full year education cycle. They would get 33% more productivity with little additional dollars spent. Same building, same infrastructure etc. Oh yes of course the professors will have to give up their 5 month vacation every year.
- How about Universities going to a full year education cycle. They would get 33% more productivity with little additional dollars spent. Same building, same infrastructure etc. Oh yes of course the professors will have to give up their 5 month vacation every year.
- It's not monopoly money to the students who can stay in college because of it. Investing in U.S. education is 10 fold more valuable than some war.
- If community colleges went to a full year cycle, it would costs each student 33% less to complete a (4) year degree. It would take little additional money to operate as they have all of the infrastructure and if Teachers did not want to give up their 4-5 month vacation, hire new ones.
By doing this you would lower the costs for students, raise the income of community colleges because they could graduate more students and not costs the tax payers much money at all.
That is real "change".....
- by garotte72 July 14, 2009 11:08 AM EDT
Lol! Correction: Our UNIVERSITIES are the finest in the world. But there has been a recent trend of more non-Americans attending those shining schools than Americans. I see nothing wrong with the Federal government encouraging and helping more AMERICANS attend American Universities. And don't get me started on the abysmal state of American elementary and grade schools. You need to get a clue, my friend.
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I don't have a problem with more Americans attending our schools at all either, as long as they can pay for it...they were provided a free education with my tax dollar already and they didn't pick it up and run with it...BUMS don't get any more of my dollars...they need to do what i did...pay for it themselves....it's called WORK for what you get in this life...something liberals don't seem to have EVER FREAKING HEARD OF!
- If it is important it should have been in the stimulus bill. The stimulus COULD have been a good thing. Unfortunately, it was rushed through so it could PASS instead of HELP...
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- Why wasn't this in the stimulus bill? I guess Obama got up in the middle of the night to take a leak and said: OH!!! I have another "great" idea..
Stop spending money.. This is out of control.. - Reply to this comment
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- If keeps up this spending binge, 2010 will be a landslide of outing the incumbents. People are scared to death of this debt. He has committed and plans on spending more money in deficits than all the Presidents of the US from the beginning including GW combined.
Who the hell is going to pay for all of this? Like California we are becoming a South American economy.
- If keeps up this spending binge, 2010 will be a landslide of outing the incumbents. People are scared to death of this debt. He has committed and plans on spending more money in deficits than all the Presidents of the US from the beginning including GW combined.
- If you're miserable, I'm happy!
Enjoy your Bush-payback salad sandwich. - Reply to this comment
- I hope you liberals are happy...
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Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
