Keep the CalGrants

Re “Poor would be hard hit by state cuts,” May 22

The prospect of dismantling the CalGrant program is a major setback for California and its citizens.

Without CalGrants, thousands of talented, deserving low-income students would be denied the individual and social benefits accruing from a college education. The public benefits of the college-educated, such as an increased tax base and a skilled workforce, would erode rapidly and permanently.

What a devastating step backward it would be to eliminate CalGrants -- which have worked effectively for 50 years -- in a state that is already struggling to remain competitive.

Jacqueline Powers Doud

Los Angeles

The writer is the president of Mount St. Mary’s College.

If the state government moves forward with this proposal, California would go from having one of the best state student financial aid programs in the country to one of the worst.

To compensate for the lost revenue, colleges would have to raise tuition. Thousands of low-income students would have to give up their dreams of a college education. Such a change is extremely shortsighted.

Mark Kantrowitz

Cranberry Township, Pa.

The writer is the publisher of the financial aid websites FinAid.org and FastWeb.com.

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As an incoming transfer to UCLA from a junior college, a CalGrant goes a long way toward continuing my education without crippling my chances to fulfill a dream.

The money CalGrants provide to students is almost irreplaceable, as many families cannot afford the surging costs of education. If this funding is taken away and tuition is increased, it will only add to the need for government programs like the CalGrant. So how is cutting CalGrants logical?

J. Camilo Loza

Garden Grove