FARMINGVILLE, N.Y.—As thousands of Long Island students go back to school, Representative Bishop commented on Congressman Paul Ryan’s radical Randy Altschuler-approved budget.
“Across America, there are more than 20 million college students heading back to classes this fall,” Bishop said. “Paul Ryan’s Altschuler-approved budget would slash Pell Grants by billions, eliminating the grants for 400,000 students in academic year 2013-2014, cutting grants for hundreds of thousands more in years to come, and reducing assistance for virtually every other recipient.”
More than 9 million students receive Pell Grants each year.
“This extreme budget isn’t only disastrous for students, it’s bad for local jobs,” Bishop said. “The two largest employers in the First Congressional District are SUNY Stony Brook and Suffolk County Community College. If fewer students can afford higher education, that will mean fewer staff and faculty at our colleges.”
Representative Bishop agreed with the Suffolk County Community College’s Board of Trustees resolution urging Congress to reject these cuts. Nearly 18,000 students attending Suffolk County colleges relied on Pell Grants for the last school year.
“This is a question of values. We cannot be a country where opportunity is available only for a chosen few,” Bishop said. “Programs like Pell Grants and the G.I. Bill for the 21st Century make sure that anyone with the talent and work ethic necessary to succeed have an opportunity to do so. To go down the Ryan-Altschuler path of backing away from this commitment to deserving students would betray everything our country stands for.”
Pell Grant and Suffolk County
Stony Brook University has 6,177 students receiving Pell Grants in academic year 2011-2012 with 3,188 of those eligible receiving the maximum grant. $26.4 million will be disbursed to SBU students through Pell Grant in 2011-12.
Suffolk County Community College has 8,831 students receiving Pell Grants for the 2011-2012 academic year totaling $28.913 million disbursed.
Dowling College has 912 students receiving Pell Grants for the 2011-2012 academic year.
Briarcliffe College has 1278 students receiving Pell Grants for the 2011-2012 academic year, totaling $7.6 million disbursed.
St. Joseph’s College has 1,103 students receiving Pell Grants for the 2011-2012 academic year with 457 students receiving the maximum grant, totaling $3.85 million disbursed.
In total, there are approximately 18,000 students receiving Pell Grants that are attending college in the district totaling around $70 million in aid.