skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Progressives call push to change Constitution "risky," Judge rules Donald Trump defrauded banks, insurers while building real estate empire; new report compares ways NY can get cleaner air, help disadvantaged communities.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

House Speaker McCarthy aims to pin a shutdown on White House border policies, President Biden joins a Detroit auto workers picket line and the Supreme Court again tells Alabama to redraw Congressional districts for Black voters.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

An Indigenous project in South Dakota seeks to protect tribal data sovereignty, advocates in North Carolina are pushing back against attacks on public schools, and Arkansas wants the hungriest to have access to more fruits and veggies.

TX Rural Students Face College Shutout Without Changes to FAFSA

play audio
Play

Friday, May 12, 2023   

Texas educates more rural students than any other state at nearly 700,000, and there is concern a new law meant to simplify applying for college financial aid could make it more difficult for farm kids to attend.

In 2020, Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act, a formula used to determine how much financial aid students can receive. It eliminated a long-standing provision for how farm families determine income, excluding nonliquid farm assets, such as farmland, equipment, storage structures and more.

Nick Fouriezos, a journalist for Open Campus, said without a fix, college could be out of reach for a whole generation of farm-raised kids.

"If you had a family farm, you didn't have to calculate the net worth of the farm because a family farm isn't something you can just piece up and sell when it's time to go to college," Fouriezos explained. "Maybe if it was a stock, you could sell it. You can't sell the auger that you're using to make a living on the family farm."

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators led by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has introduced a bill to restore the exemption. Last year, the average farm family was expected to contribute around $8,000 to their college student's tuition. The figure would climb to $41,000 next year, according to an Iowa College Student Aid Commission study.

Fouriezos acknowledged rural students graduate from high school at higher rates than those in urban areas, but are less likely to obtain a two- or four-year college degree, and do not need more barriers to attending postsecondary education.

"You add something like this, which could greatly, greatly increase the actual costs that they're bearing, and their inability to access certain scholarships and resources and, I mean, it could make a huge difference," Fouriezos observed.

It is estimated more than 85% of college students, or almost 18 million, currently receive some type of financial aid.

Disclosure: The Rural Democracy Initiative contributes to our fund for reporting on Environment, Health Issues, Rural/Farming, and Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Damage seen on Maui after catastrophic, wind-driven fires swept through the area. (Brea Burkholz/Direct Relief)

Social Issues

play sound

A California group formed after the firestorm that leveled the town of Paradise is stepping up to help Maui recover from its own disaster last month…


Social Issues

play sound

Skills for reducing violence are becoming essential in schools. At the beginning of the school year, students at a Washington state high school …

play sound

The age-old theory that opposites attract has been debunked. According to analysis of more than 130 traits in a study that included millions of …


The New York City Mayor has declared a State of Emergency due to the 113,000 migrants who've arrived since spring of 2022. (pressmaster/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A new report questions New York City Mayor Eric Adams' latest budget proposal for dealing with the city's influx of over 110,000 migrants. The cost …

Social Issues

play sound

A federal judge has blocked a 2022 Arizona law that voting-rights advocates say would have made it harder for some Native Americans to vote. House …

UAW members are asking for 36% raises in general pay over four years, as well as the return of pension plans for new workers. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Thousands of U.S. auto workers remain on strike, and the walkout is being felt in Minnesota. A rally was scheduled this morning in the Twin Cities …

Environment

play sound

If states like Minnesota are going to meet their climate goals, experts say younger workers will need to step into the roles to make it happen - like …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In rural Arkansas, access to healthcare can be a distant dream - literally - as almost 60 counties in the state do not have enough providers to serve …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021