EDITORIAL: Lessons of experience

The 1996 general election willThe 1996 general election willbe a referendum on federl higherThe 1996 general election willbe a referendum on federl highereducation policyThe 1996 general election willbe a referendum on federl highereducation policy_____________________________ Now, as President Clinton and Republican candidate Bob Dole slug it out on the campaign trail, it appears that significant changes are in the works for the Department of Education -- regardless of which candidate wins in November. Both Clinton and Dole have advanced proposals aimed at rewarding capable students and helping those with meager financial resources afford a college education. Elements of each candidate's proposal merit further study, consideration and possible implementation. On the Democratic side, a $10,000 tax deduction for college expenses makes sense for working parents, whose savings are tapped and typically drained the moment their first child matriculates. The federal direct lending program, which allows students to obtain loans without going through a bank, thus decreasing the cost of borrowing money, should also be expanded. On the Republican side, increasing the maximum available Pell Grant to $2,500 and having the government pay the Stafford Loan Program fee reduces the amount of debt students must assume to meet the full cost of their education. These provisions would also make student loan dollars go further, since they would not be subtracted to cover administrative costs. The skyward spiraling costs of higher education in America threaten to again place a college degree well beyond the realm of possibility for most working families. While government regulation is probably not the answer, recognition of this problem on a federal level and analysis of how to address it should be a priority for America's next president. In addition, one proposal neither candidate has advanced -- but that both would do well to examine -- is a tax break for full-time students, on summer earnings or non-work-study school-year pay. Most students are far from lazy when it comes to their share of educational costs, whether they are splitting the tab with their school, the state, their folks or Uncle Sam. Rewarding these students' ability to find and keep a paying job, by permitting them to keep more of their income to cover school-related costs, seems only fair.