Corner Post Editorial
Private/public divide apparent in grants

by Joe Pecoraro, posted April 26, 2010

When seniors in high school start the decision process for college, there are a lot of factors to consider. Do I stay in state or out of state? Do I go to a two-year or four-year university? What are the benefits of public or private?

Up until now, if you were eligible for an Access Missouri Grant, you would receive a maximum of $4,600 per year if you attended a private college. If you attended a public college on the other hand, you could not receive more than $2,150. But, if Missouri Senate Bill 784 goes into effect, that would all change. What Missouri lawmakers are proposing is to make the grants the same for both public and private schools, and they would set the amount per year at $2,850 per year. If this bill were to pass, it would not affect students until after 2013.

The fact that this bill even has to be introduced is surprising to me. Why should students attending a public university receive fewer funds just because their peers decide to go to a more expensive school? I understand there are more factors involved than that, but all-in-all, the system is set up so that private school students can help themselves make up the difference for choosing a private institution over a public one. Shouldn’t Missouri government want to encourage students to attend schools assisted by the state as opposed to ones that aren’t? It is perfectly logical to me that some lawmakers would want the grants to be equal for all those that qualify for them. But, as of now, there is quite a bit of opposition.

Some valid points exist against this bill. One of the main ones is that this is one of the few grants that would apply to low-income students attending a private university. Although anyone should be able to attend the university they wish to, the state shouldn’t pay more for someone to go to a private college when a public university can do a more than an adequate job of providing a proper education. Although this might not be the top choice for these students, they would still be able to attend a university on the state’s tab. Instead of assisting one private school student, the same budget would bring assistance to two students of any university. This would help more students overall and promote more attendance of public universities.

I must admit, I am somewhat of an outsider on this issue because I am not a Missouri resident, but I feel this makes me more impartial on the issue. Yes, I do attend a public university. But, I am not getting any money regardless of if I attend this university or a private one. All I know is thar I am receiving a great education at a public university, which gives me an opportunity to succeed. And in my mind, the opportunity to succeed is what the main benefit of an education should be.

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