Daily Lumina News 091222

When President Joe Biden unveiled his unprecedented plan for student-loan forgiveness last month, it amplified the public debate about the value of higher education.
In this interview, education leaders and policy experts weigh in with their thoughts.

After committing a violent crime at 19 years old, D’Quinta Uzzle was handed two life sentences plus 40 years in prison. That’s when the Second Chance Pell Grant program, run by the University of Baltimore, changed his life.
Uzzle shared his story recently at a conference led by advocates working to promote access to higher education in prisons.

A commission charged by the Texas Legislature to suggest new ways of funding Texas community colleges is poised to recommend a complete system overhaul that ties state dollars to how successful schools are at getting students to graduation or four-year universities.
The Texas Commission on Community College Finance also says the state needs to better invest in its need-based financial aid programs to help more students access the programs they need, whether it's a certificate or associate degree.

Free college isn’t a new idea in California. But some community colleges, facing declining enrollment, are going above and beyond.
In addition to waiving tuition fees for more students, several institutions are touting new perks like free textbooks, meals, and transportation.

When federal student loan borrowers take a breath from celebrating the cancellation of some or all of their federal student loans, millions of them could be in for a not-so-pleasant surprise.
While President Joe Biden's sweeping student debt relief won't be subject to federal income tax, seven states have tax policies on the books that could require them to treat student loans canceled by the federal government as taxable income.

Students can use Pell Grants for programs as short as 15 weeks, but some education advocates want to see more flexibility.
In the upcoming months, several paths remain for expanding Pell Grants to programs as short as eight weeks. Legislative experts say the odds of that happening are long but not insurmountable.